After a delay, the Chinese joint venture JAC Volkswagen has started the sale of the first model of its electric car brand SOL. The E20X was supposed to come onto the market last year and is now available at prices starting at around 16,450 euros after subsidies.

In April 2018, VW CEO Herbert Diess – a few days after taking over as CEO from Matthias Müller – presented the series version of the E20X at the Beijing Motor Show. This was only a moderately modified version of the JAC iEV7S, which, according to information at the time, was to go on sale “in the second half of the year”.

The timing did not quite turn out as planned, and some technical data also changed since the premiere in 2018. Instead of an engine output of 85 kW, the BEV now can boast 92 kW. Inside, a 49.5 kWh battery with round cells from Lishen, give the electric SUV a range of up to 402 kilometres according to the Chinese standard. The City SUV should be able to charge to 80 per cent of its capacity in 50 minutes with charging connections located at the front of the SUV.

The design of the 4.13 metre long E20X is somewhat reminiscent of Seat’s design – for good reason. Originally it was planned that the electric brand of VW and JAC would be called Seat or its Chinese translation Xiyate. But that did not happen, the design stayed with the first SOL. The relationship to the iEV7S is also well recognisable after the re-design of the SOL. In the interior, it should stand out from its sister model through better workmanship and copper-coloured design elements.

The E20X is said to have extensive features, such as a keyless entry system, an eight-inch display in the centre console and a fully digital instrument display – the iEV7S doesn’t offer such a feature. A parking assistant, blind-spot warning, LTE connection and an air purifier are also available. The E20X is available from 128,000 RMB (16,450 euros) in the more affordable version, while SOL is asking for 138,000 RMB (17,730 euro) for the higher version, in each case after deduction of subsidies.

gasgoo.com, chinapev.com