The rugged iCar 03T SUV that Chery previewed at the Beijing show this spring (see video) is almost ready for its domestic premiere. Car News China says the sales should start in a few months, but in the meantime, we can have a look at these patent shots and technical specs.
Compared to the standard Chery iCar 03 model released in late winter, the T version is being marketed as an off-road machine. To that end, it gets aggressive-looking bumpers, front wheel arch extensions, and a revised chassis. It appears to be lacking the expedition rack that the show car had.
Compared to the iCar 03, the T version gains 15 mm (0.6 inches) of ground clearance, for a total of 200 mm (7.8 inches). Customers can choose between 18- and 19-inch wheel sets. The approach and departure angles aren’t bad at 26 and 28 degrees, respectively, but the company promised us 28 and 31 degrees at the show. Attach a trailer hook, and the departure angle goes down to just 21 degrees. With the optional AWD, the 03T model can tow trailers weighing up to 1,600 kg (3,527 lbs) with own brakes or up to 750 kg (1,653 lbs) without brakes.
Depending on whether you need a luggage box mounted on the tailgate, the length of the SUV can amount to 4,380 or 4,433 mm (roughly 171.1 or 173.3 inches). The width is 1,916 mm (74.6 in), the height is 1,741 mm (68 in) and the wheelbase is 2,715 mm (106 in).
The bits under the hood stay unchanged from the normal iCar 03 lineup. The base version has a single motor at the rear end and makes 184 PS (181 hp / 135 kW), while the AWD version adds a front-end motor with 95 PS (94 hp / 70 kW) of its own. Their combined output comes to a solid 279 PS (275 hp / 205 kW). The electric range exceeds 500 km (310 miles) for both variants.
