With the iCaur brand having made its debut in Malaysia last month, the Chery sub-brand has a trio of electric vehicles set to arrive in Malaysia, and the first to do so will be the 03 EV – seen here – which is set to go on sale locally in the third quarter of this year.
Renamed from iCar for export markets, as the iCaur brand is known in left-hand drive export markets, the marque is the result of a collaboration between Chery and Xiaomi’s subsidiary Zhimi Technology, also known as Smartmi Tech.
Two variants of the 03 will be offered in the Malaysian market – the 03 2WD that starts from RM145,000, and the iWD at RM155,000; it is the latter that we have here in these images.
The iWD sports a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain, comprised of a 95 PS/165 Nm front axle motor and a 184 PS/220 Nm rear axle motor to yield a combined 279 PS and 385 Nm of torque. This setup propels the 03 from 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, and on to a top speed of 150 km/h, says iCaur.
This dual-motor powertrain draws energy from a 69.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that offers an NEDC-rated range of 418 km (342 km on the WLTP standard, as cited for its twin the Jaecoo J6), according to the manufacturer. This takes up to 80 kW DC charging that brings a 30-80% recharge in 30 minutes, while AC charging can be done at up to 6.6 kW. The 03 iWD also offer V2L power supply at up to 3.3 kW.
In terms of physical dimensions, the 03 iWD measures 4,406 mm long, 1,910 mm wide and 1,715 mm tall with a 2,715 mm wheelbase. The luggage compartment holds 264 litres, and its kerb weight is 1,874 kg; wheels are 19-inch alloys shod in tyres measuring 225/55R19. Suspension is by MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link setup at the rear.
Elsewhere in the range, there is also the 03 2WD, which as its name suggests is a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive variant of the model. This is powered by a 184 PS/220 Nm rear-mounted motor, drawing energy from a slightly smaller 65.7 kWh LFP battery offering slightly more range at 426 km (NEDC). This also takes up to 80 kW DC charging, bringing a 30-80% recharge in an identical 30 minutes.
In the 03 iWD, its driving assistance systems comes courtesy of a Level 2.5 ADAS suite comprised of lane assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist and others, while visual aids include what the carmaker calls a 540-degree “transparent chassis” camera setup.
Inside, the 03 iWD features a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 9.2-inch digital instrument panel, while audio is by a 12-speaker Infinity audio setup.
The 03 EV is one of three models that iCaur plans to launch in Malaysia this year, and the other two are the 03T, which is a premium, sportier version of the 03, as well as the V23, which is expected to be priced close to the 03 and 03T.
