Lixiang i6 patented in China

Chinese automaker Lixiang has filed a trademark application to the local Ministry of Industry for “i6”, an affordable electric CUV. It’s expected to arrive in the showrooms in September, but let’s look at the car and its spec sheet first.

Overall, the new model looks more inspired by the Lixiang Mega minivan than a traditional SUV. It also looks like a downsized Lixiang i8, coming in at 4,950 mm long, 1,935 mm wide and 1,655 mm tall. The wheelbase amounts to 3 meters. That’s 135 mm shorter, 25 mm narrower and 85 mm less tall than the i8 with a 50mm reduction in wheelbase length.

Although sized close to its three-row, six-seat senior cousin, the i6 has only two seat rows inside. The spec sheet mentions two powertrain options: RWD and AWD. The former relies on a single motor with 340 PS (335 hp / 250 kW), while the latter adds a rear motor with 204 PS (201 hp / 150 kW) of its own. The curb weight of the AWD version amounts to 2,525 kg (5,566 lbs).

Unofficial sources add that the i6 benefits from 800-volt electric internals and a 5C-certified LFP battery pack. This basically means the battery can be discharged and charged again up to five times within an hour. Replenishing enough power for 500 km (310 km) of range should be a matter of 10 minutes or so.