3-Way Cool EVs From Tesla, Ford, & Audi You Can Only Buy In China – CleanTechnica

---

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

---

When you are the King of the Mountain, good things come your way before they happen to others — if they ever do. China is the major domo of the electric car industry, thanks to robust government support and ultra-low prices. This week, news dropped of three very appealing EVs that are available now or coming soon exclusively in China.

Tesla Model Y+ With More Range

According to Autoblog, Tesla China has submitted a regulatory filing with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology  for a new version of the Model Y that will have a single motor powering the rear wheels and a nickel cobalt manganese battery pack sourced from LG Energy Solution. Range is said to be 497 miles CLTC. The current single-motor Model Y is equipped with an LFP battery pack and has 368 miles of range CLTC.

Photos of the new model show “Model Y+” badging  on the rear, but according to CarNewsChina, this may not be the final name for the new Model Y variant. Automakers sometimes use code names in MIIT filings, saving the real names for the product launch.

Tesla did something similar with the Model 3 when it announced a longer range, rear-wheel-drive version for China in August. In that car, the LGES battery provided 515 miles CLTC of range. Range for the similar Model Y will be slightly less due to its higher weight and less aerodynamic shape. The 497-mile estimate is still equivalent to 349 miles on the EPA cycle, which is a bit less than the 357 miles Tesla currently quotes for a rear-wheel-drive Model Y Premium.

According to CarNewsChina, the 302 horsepower, rear-wheel-drive, long-range Model Y will be priced between the base rear-wheel-drive version at 263,500 yuan ($37,000) and the all-wheel-drive version that starts at 313,500 yuan ($44,000).

Ford Bronco Basecamp

The F0rd Bronco would make a dandy EV, but of course no self-respecting Americans would be caught dead in one that didn’t feature an internal combustion engine. So Ford teamed up with Chinese partner Jianling to create a battery powered and an extended range version of the Bronco for Chinese customers. Known as the Basecamp, it features a pop-up glass roof activated by a button on the dash that raises the ceiling height by 14.2 inches and making the Bronco Basecamp the perfect place for two people to camp out under the stars.

According to Gear Patrol, Ford offers a Bronco-branded inflatable mattress for the Basecamp that spans the rear when the seats are folded flat. That turns the back of the SUV into a mobile sleeper area. At the rear is a smart side table that integrates into the tailgate and features a magnetic storage panel for cutlery. Pull it out, prep your food, clean up, and put everything back in place. Sweet! Owners can also add exterior awnings, furniture, and other camping gear for all the comforts of home away from home.

The Ford Bronco Basecamp is available as both a battery electric and an EREV. In EV trim, it rocks a 105 kWh battery and dual motors with a combined output of 445 horsepower. Range in the generous CLTC test cycle is 404 miles. The EREV comes with a 44 kWh battery and a turbocharged 1.5 liter gasoline engine. Ford claims it can travel 137 miles on battery power alone and has a total range with the battery flat and an empty tank of 758 miles. Prices are expected to be announced near the end of this year.

Audi E5 Sportback

Wagons are not as popular as they once were before SUVs came along and stole their thunder, but they remain popular in China, where Audi has just unveiled its all new E5 Sportback, one of the slinkiest wagons to ever slither down a sinuous ribbon of pavement. Unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show in April, the car has a 76 kWh battery that powers a single electric motor powering the rear wheels and a range of 618 kilometers CLTC.

The E5 Sportback is the first model to use the Advanced Digitized Platform developed with SAIC. It will be built at a production facility in Anting adjacent to the SAIC–VW factory. According to Electrive, Audi claims production in Anting is characterized by “a high degree of automation, state of the art technologies, including machine learning for quality monitoring and a fully digitized production management system.”

Chinese media reports that the E5 Sportback will sell for 235,900 yuan ($28,200) to 319,900 yuan ($38,200). The car will be offered with a variety of battery and motor combinations. There will be three batteries — 76, 83, and 100 kWh — and both single- and dual-motor versions.

According to CarNewsChina, the 76 kWh battery is an LFP cell battery manufactured by a joint venture between SAIC and CATL. The 100 kWh battery, on the other hand, uses NMC cells from CATL. No information is available about the mid-range 86 kWh battery. SAIC-Volkswagen manufactures the body, while the electric motors come from SAIC subsidiary Huayu Automotive Electric Systems.

The E5 Sportback is 4.88 meters long and features a lidar sensor on the roof and 26 other sensors, including 3 radar units, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and 11 cameras for the car’s semi-autonomous driver assistance system. Data processing is handled by Orin X chips from Nvidia, with software from Momenta. The infotainment system is incorporated into a 59-inch display powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 cockpit chip.

It is interesting that Audi has chosen a wagon, known as a Sportback in Ingolstadt, for China instead of an SUV. But wagons have carved out a niche in the Chinese market as several popular wagon models have been brought to market recently, such as the Zeekr 007 GT at 202,900 yuan, the Nio ET5 Touring at 298,000 yuan and the Stelato S9T at 328,900 yuan. The E5 Sportback went on sale in early October and attracted more than 10,000 orders in the first 30 minutes.

All three of these cars would be a delight for US buyers, but their government has decided to pick winners and losers in the marketplace. China, which is nominally a communist country, actually practices the robust sort of capitalism that the US says it adores but then erects tariff walls to stifle actual competition.

The Tesla Model Y+ may not set many hearts aflutter, but the Bronco Basecamp and Audi E5 Sportback certainly might. That’s too bad, because the most US drivers can do is look on longingly from afar.