Dongfeng joins the Chinese EV revolution in Singapore with its new Box EV

The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) revolution is well underway, with a whole slew of Chinese EV brands making their debuts in Singapore this year. The latest one to join the party is Dongfeng, with the launch of their new Box compact EV.

Volt Auto has been appointed as the official authorised distributor for Dongfeng here, and the new upstart company also announced the opening of their showroom, located at Tai Seng Exchange, during the launch event on Sept 25.

Who is Dongfeng?

Dongfeng is actually one of the biggest carmakers in China, and is one of the 'Big Four' state-owned vehicle manufacturers in the country, with the other three being SAIC Motor, Changan Auto, and FAW Group.

The company is more well-known for their trucks and commercial vehicles, and it had a small but relatively unsuccessful presence here in Singapore back in the mid-2000s when COE premiums were at record lows.

What is the new car that they are launching in Singapore?

Dongfeng marked its revival in Singapore by launching the Box, a compact electric hatchback that is targeted at first-time EV buyers looking for something stylish and trendy that's also affordable and easy to drive.

The car sits on Dongfeng's Quantum Architecture Platform 3, and measures just 4,030mm long. However, it boasts a wheelbase of 2,660mm, which gives the car plenty of interior room, especially for rear passengers.

The Box will be offered with a choice of three base colours, Aurora Purple, Icy Blue and Twilight White, and the purple and blue shades can be specified with a white contrast roof. The interior too can be had in either Grey/Black or White/Black combinations, while those who opt for the Aurora Purple exterior can also choose a Purple/White interior.

The cabin is upholstered with quilted, soft-touch trim materials to give it an upmarket feel, and there are neat touches like the drawer-style compartment for the front passenger, and the 'floating' centre console that frees up more storage space in the interior. Boot space stands at 326 litres, and is expandable to 945 litres with the rear seats folded down.

Premium features include a ventilated driver's seat that also has a one-touch reclining mode, interior ambient lighting, wireless smartphone charger, and a 12.8-inch infotainment touchscreen.

It also comes with a number of driver assistance features like Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning.

Power comes from an electric motor that produces 94hp and 160Nm of torque, which means it easily qualifies for a Category A COE. It uses a 42.3kWh battery, and this gives the Box a range of up to 430km on a full charge. Using a 60kW DC fast charger, the battery can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes.

How much is the Box?

At the time of its launch (Sept 2024), Volt Auto is retailing the Box at $148,888, inclusive of COE. This makes it one of the most affordable EVs on the market right now, alongside other EV offerings from fellow Chinese brands like Aion and BYD.

Volt Auto's managing director, Soh Ming, says that the company intends to expand Dongfeng's model lineup in Singapore next year, with plans to bring in more EV models to cover a variety of segments, including SUVs and sedans.

Dongfeng joins an already heated-up Chinese EV market in Singapore, and they are the fifth Chinese car brand to debut here in 2024 alone, joining the likes of fellow mainstream brand Aion, premium upscale brands like Zeekr and Xpeng, as well as Omoda, a mid-tier sub-brand from Chinese carmaker Chery.

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The best-selling Chinese brand here, BYD, will launch their own luxury sub-brand, Denza, in October, and that will bring the total number of Chinese car brands officially on sale in Singapore to 11.

ALSO READ: BYD gave us a preview of Denza D9 and we can see how China's levelling up

benjamin.chia@asiaone.com

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