Assembly of Chinese electric vehicles can be arranged in the Saratov region

On December 14th, Government of the Saratov Region and AlfaTech signed an agreement to organize the assembly of electric vehicles, the production of batteries and charging stations at the site in Engels. The project partner is the Chinese automaker FAW, the press service of the government of the Saratov region reports. It is expected that the production can be launched in the second half of 2023, and it is planned to produce up to 2,000 electric vehicles for taxis and car sharing the next year at the new plant. The investor plans to create up to 270 jobs. In subsequent years, the production is planned to be localized in stages, which should be facilitated by the experience of the region, where there are already enterprises for the production of batteries.

As the Chinese Automobiles portal writes, it is not specified which FAW models are planned to be produced at the plant in the Saratov region. Meanwhile, to date, the Russian FAW line includes only Besturn X40 and Bestune T77 gasoline crossovers. Obviously, none of these models fit the description, as there are no electric versions of them even in China. There are two electric vehicles in the Chinese model range of the FAW Bestune sub-brand. The first is the E01 mid-size crossover. In size, it is slightly larger than the gasoline model T77. The electric motor produces 190 hp and the battery with a capacity of 61.34 kWh should be enough for 450 km on the NEDC cycle. The second "electric vehicle" from FAW called Bestune NAT is a compact van designed specifically for taxis and car sharing, and the name NAT stands for Next AutomaticTaxi.

With small dimensions (length 4450 mm) Bestune NAT has a spacious interior and an impressive wheelbase of 2850 mm. The rear right door is sliding, the left one is hinged. In China, NAT is offered with two electric motor options: 136 hp and 163 hp Drive in any case front. There are several batteries to choose from, ranging in capacity from 53 to 56 kWh. Depending on the configuration, the claimed mileage on a single charge ranges from 401 to 425 km.