Qiantu may be a name you’ll see in the U.S. soon.
Southern California-based Mullen Technologies wants to sell an electric cars in the United States. But there’s a problem: It did not have a car of its own to sell. Unlike startups Lucid, Faraday Future and Rivian, Mullen isn’t pushing its own car to sell in the United States. Instead, it formed a strategic partnership with Qiantu to bring its car to our shores: the Qiantu K50.
The car just made its debut at the 2019 New York Auto Show, and like most other startups, Mullen is aiming for a high-priced, low-volume performance car to break into the U.S. market. The company is not entirely new — it previously built other ill-fated electric models a few years back.
However, the Qiantu K50 is currently sold in China, meaning the American R&D team just has to make it legal for our market. It’s a good-looking car, and it has some worthwhile performance figures to back it up.
Two electric motors power the axles, making the car all-wheel drive. Together, they generate 402 horsepower, enough to push the K50 to 60 in “under 4.2 seconds”, according to Mullen. The Chinese version is currently rated at 230 miles of range, although Mullen wants to improve on that figure for the U.S. version.
Other features in the two-seater EV include a heated windshield, rooftop solar panel and a 360-degree surround view camera. According to an Autoblog report, the car will be manufactured in North America. However, the company has yet to announce exactly where in North America they’ll build the U.S.-adapted Qiantu K50.
May be in the U.S. by 2020
Ultimately, Mullen will get the parts and frame to assemble the car from China, as well as from suppliers like Magna Steyr, Pirelli and Bosch. Features that need to be changed for homologation purposes will be installed prior to going on sale here. Mullen has not announced any official pricing, but said it aims to put the Qiantu K50 on sale by 2020.
The car is currently priced between $105,000 and $150,000 for the Chinese versions. Mullen’s current business plan aims to build about 650 of these cars each year. If this car ultimately comes to fruition, it may build more cars down the road, including a more affordable “mid-premium market” model.
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