It remains to be seen whether the V25 will come to South Africa as an iCaur.
V25 looks similar to the V23, but has a range-extending electric or REEV powertrain. Picture: autohome.com.cn
Uncovered last month in documents submitted to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Chery-owned iCar has officially debuted the V25 ahead of its public premiere at the Chengdu Motor Show this weekend.
V23 vs V25
One of five models the Chery Group will showcase at the event, the V25 differs little from the V23 on first glance, though underneath, it gains dimensionally while also eschewing the electric-only powertrain for a range-extending electric setup.
Fitted with exhaust outlets and an open grille at the front, the V25 has less ground clearance than the V23 at 197 mm versus 210 mm, while also having a different roof design that appears similar to the hard top arrangement of the original Land Rover Defender.
Still present is the faux spare wheel carrier fixed to the tailgate, which only opens from the inside instead of opening and folding down from the outside as on the 03T.
Dimensions
Equipped with LiDAR and riding on 21-inch alloy wheels, the V25 is said to ride on the same platform as the V23, but with the following dimensions:
- Length: 4 636 mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 820 mm;
- Width: 1 920 mm;
- Height: 1 855 mm
Compared to its sibling, the V25 measures 416 mm longer, five millimetres wider and 10 mm taller, with its wheelbase being longer by 85 mm.
In addition, iCar reports an approach angle of 30-degree, departure angle of 28-degrees and a claimed tow rating of 1 800 kg.
REEV powertrain
Fitted with side-steps as standard, the V25’s main difference from the V23 is the range-extending powertrain as on the V27.
Launching in two variants, base and S, the combustion method involves the familiar 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, whose 115 kW is used solely as a generator.
Principal power, therefore, comes from a 33.6-kWh battery pack powering a single electric motor, with the combined output being 340kW/505Nm.
In front-wheel drive application, the claimed all-electric range is 150 km and 145 km for the all-wheel drive and all-paw gripping S, both according to China’s CLTC cycle.
Compared to the V23, the V25’s amount of twist more than likely goes to the ground through a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).
South Africa’s next iCaur?
Its interior and pricing still to be revealed, availability for South Africa, where the brand is known as iCaur, is still to be announced.
