A Chinese-made premium electric SUV that was due to burst onto the Australian auto market in early 2020 is now delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic – but it may result in a wider range of EVs becoming available with at least one model tipped under the $40,000 mark.
The Glory E3 made its debut at the AEVA Electric Vehicle Expo in Sydney last October, with auto newcomer EV Automotive planning to start importing the right-hand drive SUV alongside an all-electric van in 2020.
At the time, it was thought that the Glory E3 would become available with a circa $A60,000 price tag and the 1 tonne EC35 in the low $A50,000s, both with an estimated 400km driving range.
But with factory closures to help contain the spread of the highly contagious virus, EV Automotive sales manager for Oceania Peter Benardos says that both vehicles will be delayed as the Chinese state-owned auto maker Dong Feng changes tactic.
The change of tactic – which according to Benardos involves developing five vehicles in tandem, instead of pushing forward the electric SUV – will mean that a series of vehicles will possibly be made available for right-hand drive markets, including a hatchback, a sedan and a Sprinter-sized commercial vehicle.
“Because China has shutdown, we were looking at this quarter but that’s now been put on the back burner,” Benardos tells The Driven.
“It makes sense for them to do R&D on five vehicles at the same time rather than push one through. I would say we would not see a vehicle until towards the end of the year.”
Car imports are also being put on hold as the Australian dollar buckles under the economic pressure of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Driven understands that some auto makers are waiting to see if the dollar recovers over coming months, while leading electric vehicle maker Tesla has been forced to increase pricing by some thousands of dollars.
Benardos says there is a silver lining however, and that it may come in the form of a Chinese-made electric hatchback priced between $30,000-40,000.
“I would say we would not see a vehicle until towards the end of the year, but even if that one is delayed, once it is ready it means we have potentially have access to four other models,” he says.
Benardos understands that a Suzuki Swift-sized hatch with as much as 350km driving range may be in the offing, and thinks it would be a good fit for urban driving.
“If we can get a little hatch [like the Swift], that would be an absolute beauty.”
Comparing pricing of the circa $17,000-19,000 Swift and adding on $15,000 for a battery, Benardos believes the pricing would be very attractive as long as the Australian dollar recovers in time for a 2021 launch.
In the meantime, word is that EV Automotive is getting close to bringing in a large commercial vehicle, about the size of the high-roof Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
“We are hoping to have a right-hand drive model for trial within the next 2-3 months,” Benardos says.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.