Baojun launches the large RC-6 liftback in China

Baojun, a Chinese car brand co-owned by GM and SAIC, has started production of its new, full-sized liftback model dubbed the RC-6. The company unabashedly compares it to the BMW X4, although the similarities are predictably superficial.

The dimensions are impressive, indeed. The RC-6 measures 4,925 mm (16.16 ft.) long, just like the Mercedes E-Class, while being even wider (1,880 mm / 6.17 ft.) and taller (1,580 mm / 5.18 ft.). At a meager 2,800 mm (9.19 ft.), the wheelbase falls quite short of our expectations, but the ground clearance pleasantly surprises once again at 191 millimeters (7.5 inches).

The five-door liftback takes advantage of the same R chassis as the latest Baojun RS-5, which only supports front-wheel drive by design.

Open the door, and you will find that Baojun clearly likes modern Mercedes-Benz interiors. There is the same easily recognizable visor concealing two huge 12.3-inch LED displays, one functioning as a digital dash and the other one as a multimedia interface.

With the engine start/stop system, power-assisted liftgate, combination seat upholstery and adaptive cruise control, the feature list is rather generous. Then again, there are some unexplainable caveats. For instance, the climate control is single-zone only, the sunroof, which counts among the most popular options in China, is absent altogether, and the only power-assisted windows are the ones located on the driver’s door.

The car will ship with a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine rated at 147 hp (110 kW), obtainable with a manual gearbox or a CVT. As far as the pricing is concerned, the Baojun RC-6 should prove tantalizingly inexpensive, but the company won’t reveal any figures until later.