This is the new Beijing Auto Weiwang S50 SUV for China. It will debut on the Beijing Auto Show next month and launch on the Chinese car market soon thereafter. The black car on the first photo is a high end version with an impressive grille with vertical bars. The cheaper versions get…
… horizontal bars.
Weiwang is a brand under Beiqi Yinxiang Automobile, a joint venture between Beijing Auto (Beiqi) and the Yinxiang Motorcycle Group from Chongqing. The Weiwang S50 is based on the Beijing Auto Senova X65, just like the Beijing Auto Huansu S6 and the Borgward BX7.
Price wise the S50 will be positioned just below the X65, with price expected to start around 95.000 yuan. The Huansu S6 is about the same price as the X65, and the Borgward BX7 will be more expensive, but that one has a luxurious interior and will get a bespoke 2.0 turbocharged engine.
The S50 will have to do with the same 1.5 turbo as the Huansu S6, good for 150hp and 200nm, mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic, sending power to the front wheels.
The BAIC empire will market 4 versions of the same vehicle. Hopefully, there will be enough price differentiation to make this work, but if they succeed in pulling this off, they deserve some sort of award. This reminds me of old-school General Motors marketing.
Does it come with the old Saab engine?