Two days ago, on March 16, the Chinese company Kaiyi officially introduced its brand in Russia and opened its first dealership. As part of this event, representatives of the company showed three new vehicles at once, which will go on sale in the near future – and in this matter the manufacturer surprised in many ways. The fact is that Chinese companies usually produce a crossover in Russia first, and then expand the range with sedans, SUVs and more, but Kaiyi decided to conquer the Russian motorist immediately with a sedan – we are talking about the C-class E5 model, which will go on official sale first. Only after that the company will launch two more crossovers X3 and X3 Pro.
It should be noted right away that in fact, the Kaiyi E5 for the Russian market is already a very familiar car, because it was adapted for the local market at Avtotor’s facilities for six months and prepared for launch. For example, the manufacturer introduced additional processing of body elements, improved sound insulation, and also adapted the vehicle for AI-92 gasoline and, which is quite expected, translated the interface into Russian. Of the additional bonuses, company representatives also noted the installation of heated seats and a package “for bad roads”. At the same time, the company immediately clarified that in Russia the sedan will be sold with a single engine and so far only with a CVT.
We are talking about a fairly well-known engine with the SQRE4T15C index from Chery, which is equipped with a turbocharger, demonstrates up to 147 horsepower and 210 Nm of torque. Unfortunately, the maximum speed and consumption per hundred have not yet been announced, but it will probably be a relatively economical car. Also in the future, the manufacturer promises a sports version, a taxi model and a manual transmission option for true connoisseurs. As a result, the manufacturer asks for 1,959,000 rubles for the basic and so far the only complete set of the sedan, which, of course, is very good with such a body, interior and engine.
Journalists from the information publication “Chinese Automobiles”, who attended the presentation, said that it is extremely comfortable to sit in the front row, seat heating really works, and keyless entry and engine start from a button are available even in the most affordable configuration, which is rare. Unfortunately, so far there is no information about possible additional options or more expensive trim levels, but it can already be said that in the category of C-class sedans with a price tag of up to two million rubles, the E5 has every chance of competing with market leaders.