Lipetsk-based Motorinvest begins serial production of electric vehicles under Evolute brand
LIPETSK. Sept 28 (Interfax) - Lipetsk-based Motorinvest has launched mass production of electric cars under the Evolute brand and plans to produce 2,000 cars by the end of this year, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade said in a statement on Wednesday.
The first model to come off the automaker's assembly line is the Evolute I-Pro sedan. The electric car is equipped with a 53-kW traction battery, NEDC range of 420 km, electric motor power of 150 hp and torque of 260 Nm. Official dealers will start taking orders for the model in October of this year.
As previously noted in several media reports, the Evolute I-Pro electric car is based on the Chinese Dongfeng Aeolus E70.
The Evolute lineup will also include the I-Joy crossover and the I-Van minivan by the end of this year, the Industry and Trade Ministry said. Production of the I-Jet crossover coupe is scheduled to start in 2023.
The agency specified that Motorinvest intends to produce 2,000 cars this year.
Evolute electric cars fall under the state programs of preferential car loans, which already involve all Lada, UAZ and GAZ models up to 2 million rubles and from September - Chinese crossover Haval Jolion produced in Tula, Deputy Prime Minister and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov was quoted as saying in the statement.
"In the current environment, after the departure of a number of foreign manufacturers, the Russian car industry is actually undergoing a "complete reset". Today we are facing the task of returning to the market a variety of models and configurations and expanding the range of cars available to our citizens with state support," the ministry's press service quoted Manturov as saying.
"Now our goal is not only to localize production of electric vehicles, but also to create a product that will become competitive in the market, Motorinvest managing partner Andrei Reznikov said.
Motorinvest LLC signed a SPIC 2.0 with the Industry and Trade Ministry and the Lipetsk Region in March of this year. The special investment contract was the first in Russia in the field of electric transport production. The Lipetsk-based company's capacity allows it to assemble up to 100,000 electric cars per year on a full cycle. The manufacturer's investments will exceed 13 billion rubles over the 11 years of the contract.