Baojun, the Chinese brand owned by the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture, will have a very busy 2020.
The company plans to launch six all-new vehicles this year, including the RC-5 you see here. The newest member of Baojun’s young lineup is a compact liftback that replaces the 630 sedan, which launched in 2011 as the brand’s first car.
Inspired by the larger RC-6, the Baojun RC-5 adopts a five-door body with fastback styling along with the brand’s new interstellar geometry language and diamond-shaped logo.
See Also: Here’s A First Look Inside GM’s Baojun E300 And E300 Plus Tiny EVs
The front end looks similar to Baojun’s latest models (the RS-3, RS-5, and RM-5) in the sense that it features split headlights with thin horizontal DRLs at the top and the main units placed lower down. The grille is most similar to the RM-5 minivan, both when it comes to the shape and the inserts. Seen from the side, the Baojun RC-5 looks very much like the larger RC-6, except the lower ground clearance and different designs for the headlights and taillights.
For now, we don’t get to see what the interior looks like but the RC-5 is expected to take inspiration from the RC-6 as well and adopt a widescreen cockpit layout comprised of a digital instrument panel alongside the main display. The company says the RC-5 will feature an advanced IOT (Internet of things) connectivity system.
According to Chinese media, the Baojun RC-5 is 4,650-mm (183-in) long, 1,806-mm (71.1-in) wide and 1,458-mm (57.4-in) high, with a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. These dimensions make it similar to the previous-generation Skoda Octavia.
The engine lineup is said to consist of two four-cylinder gasoline engines: a 99 PS (98 HP) naturally aspirated 1.5-liter and a 147 PS (145 HP) turbocharged 1.5-liter. A six-speed manual gearbox will be standard and automatic Baojun will release more details about the RC-5 closer to its launch later this year.
