Chery’s sexy iCar GT sports car concept was the brand’s headline act at the recent Shanghai Auto Show, but the 03 SUV it shares stand space with is far more relevant to most Chinese buyers.
Like the iCar GT, the 03 was only shown in concept form, the SUV being a mockup fitted with fully blacked out windows preventing anyone looking inside. But a month on pictures have emerged of a fully drivable prototype testing on Chinese roads entirely undisguised.
The spy images are grainier than a silo full of freshly harvested wheat, but from what we can see it looks like the concept’s chunky styling details have transferred to the road car entirely intact. The show car’s double-five-spoke alloy wheels, flush door handles, vertically stacked DRLS and square box on the rear loadbay door are all present and correct in these spy shots.
But one detail that has changed is the transverse black strip on the nose containing the two headlights. The concept’s strip had a notch for a letter ‘i’ that extended into the white plastic area below, but that’s missing from the prototype. Instead, there’s an ‘icar’ badge on the black strip. Interior shots don’t give us a head-on look at the dash but do show a pair of sports seats, a console with a smartphone charging pad and grab handle, and a large floating tablet touchscreen.
Related: Chery’s iCar Launches Impressive GT Concept And Rugged 03 Off-Roader, Teases 5 Future EVs
Photos Weibo
Though the boxy styling bears more than a passing resemblance to a Land Rover Defender from several angles, the 03 is far smaller. Its overall length of around 4,371 mm (172 inches) brings it closer to a European subcompact SUV such as Peugeot’s facelifted 2008 than a compact model like the VW Tiguan , although the generous 2,700 mm (106.3 inches) wheelbase is around 95 mm (3.7 inches) longer and should equate to plenty of interior space.
Car News China reports that the 03 will hit Chinese dealerships at the tail end of 2023, and although it offers no details about the power outputs, suggests the EV version will have a 311-mile (500 km) range, while a second version with a range-extender gasoline engine will cover double that distance.
You can check out the images of the original concept below.
