Aiways: the Chinese outsider wants to become a big electric car
Although one of the first Chinese manufacturers to arrive in Europe, Aiways landed with some caution. Only one model is offered in the catalog, the U5 electric SUV. For its distribution, the brand uses an importer, Car East France, and not a subsidiary. Also, Aiways does not seek to invade the market with overabundant communication and points of sale in the four corners of France. Online sales are preferred, and the sales teams welcome this relative discretion. Like most manufacturers in this period of shortage, Aiways is struggling to produce enough. The first task is to deliver the cars ordered by customers, as the factory located in the Shanghai region suffered a closure during the severe confinement that affected the area.
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However, this discretion will soon take a back seat. Aiways is certainly a start-up, which does not have the firepower of MG, which is part of Saic, a real industrial giant. But the ambitions are real and the brand intends to seize its chance while there is time. “We are fortunate to be among the very first Chinese brands established in Europe. No Chinese brand is present in as many countries as Aiways”, recalls Pierre-Adrien Ducarre, Director of Development for Aiways for Europe. “This is an opportunity that must be seized, because it is a decisive advantage in terms of notoriety. So far, Aiways has been a good student who has done its homework, with the construction of a factory and then the design a car and deliveries. It’s time to let it be known!”. A way of recalling that certain brands such as Byton or Faraday Future have made a lot of noise with the presentation of their models and the announcement of the recruitment of superstar executives from the automotive industry, without there being any assurance today that cars will one day be made. Their financial situation is shaky.
AIWAYS U6
The real kick-off of this new offensive is called U6, an SUV-Coupé similar in size to a Renault Arkana. Aiways will not reveal its technical characteristics until September, but it is hard to imagine a revolution compared to the U5 from which it derives. The proximity between the U5 and U6 should be of the same order as that which exists between the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5. “The U5 is a rational model, the U6 displays a more sporty style which will draw attention to the brand. It is a real vector of image which will allow us to expand our audience”, assures Pierre-Adrien Ducarre.
Aiways plans a range of fifteen models
The U6 is only the first step towards the development of a more complete range. Aiways has designed its modular platform, solely dedicated to electric cars, to accommodate around fifteen different silhouettes. A foretaste of the future has already been unveiled with the U7 Ion concept car, a large minivan which will be intended primarily for the Chinese and American markets. “Our factory is capable of producing up to 150,000 cars each year, we are still far from its full capacity”. A way of saying that there is still room for a wider offer. If, for the moment, Aiways focuses on traction models, the platform allows the design of dual-engine and four-wheel-drive models. But the priority is first to multiply the number of models.
Aiways U7 Ion
Also, Aways will change its tune with regard to commercial policy. Online sales have their limits, and the brand will develop more traditional points of sale, “about twenty in France, in the big cities”. Not enough to compete with MG, which has built a network of dealers at a staggering speed, but this number corresponds quite exactly to that of the Tesla Stores that exist in France. Aiming for a similar success story would be a nice challenge for Aiways, which does not have the ambition to be a mass manufacturer, but rather a brand betting on the originality and quality of its products, a credo still rare for Chinese brands that tend to cut prices. Currently, the prices of the U5 oscillate between 39,900 € and 44,900 €, far from being among the cheapest models on the market.
