FAW-VW Carely EV

At the green auto show currently underway at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, Volkswagen and its partner FAW have unveiled the "Carely" EV, derived from the Bora compact sedan (a local version of Jetta). It is the first time that the China-only brand has made a public appearance.

We have known since mid-2011 that FAW-VW was planning to launch the Carely ("Kaili" in Chinese) brand. The EV carrying it has since been spotted several times, believed to have evolved from the pure-electric Bora (Bora Blue-e-motion) showcased at the 2011 Guangzhou motor show.

With a wheelbase of 2610mm, the Carely EV is 4540mm long and has a curb weight of 1450kg. Driven by an electric motor that can put out up to 90kW of power and 210Nm of torque, it can run as fast as 145km/h and as far as 110km in cities.

FAW-VW has set up an EV research center in Foshan, Guangdong, where it recently opened a vehicle plant. Several Carely cars are in road tests in Foshan as well as Changchun, Jilin, where the joint venture is based. According to Li Pengcheng, a PR official at the company, Carely is ready for volume production as far as technology is concerned, but no timetable is set for its market launch as "the infrastructure is still to be improved."

As for the Carely logo, he explained it as an "A" formed by two "Fs," representing "First," "Forward," and also the two partners: FAW and Volkswagen. The "A" symbolizes "Auto" and a new beginning.

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