Penned by the designer Ferrari Enzo, the Aiways U6 is set to arrive in Europe too.
While not many are perhaps familiar with the name Ken Okuyama, it is however almost certain that more people will be familiar with the cars that he has penned. Seeing that the Japanese automotive designer after all was the man behind the looks of the first generation Honda NSX, Maserati Quattroporte in addition to the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, 612 Scaglietti, California and Enzo.
With such an illustrious portfolio in mind therefore, one might think that owning the next new car penned by the same man who oversaw the design of nearly all Ferraris a decade ago would require some deep pockets. That though is where one would be wrong, as the latest Ken Okuyama creation to enter production will be the Aiways U6.
The second model to be added to this upstart Chinese EV automaker’s lineup, the upcoming U6 will serve as a sportier alternative to the existing Aiways U5 e-SUV. A car that is incidentally available not only in its home market of China, but also offered in various European countries like the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany too.
Starting with the design of the U6, it has to be said that this all-electric SUV-coupe certainly bears a greater resemblance to a Polestar 2 than a Ferrari Enzo. Having said that, it is still a rather neat looking car overall, especially when previewed in this bright yellow exterior hue seen here.
Up front, the U6 features a sleek yet aggressive look courtesy of a blanked-off grille flanked on either side by LED projector headlights and prominent black-painted side vents. Additional aerodynamic fins (alá Taycan Cross Turismo) are also observed sticking up at the extreme edges of the front bumper, giving this SUV-coupe a more butch off-roader type vibe that is continued down the side with black plastic wheel arches, massive 21-inch alloy wheels and a pronounced black side skirt accent trim.
Continuing on the topic of black, the U6 gains a black painted panoramic glass roof along with a cheeky black spoiler sitting on its coupe-esque tailgate. The same aerodynamic fin treatment as per the front appear on the rear bumpers too, with a full-width LED light bar arrangement rounding off the exterior design highlights on this Chinese all-electric crossover-coupe.
Now moving on inside, its large 14.4-inch central infotainment touchscreen is perhaps the star of the show within the minimalist cabin of the U6. Looking past the Tesla-esque screen however, there are soon other design details that catch the eye. Like the slim 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster and the twin-spoke multi-function steering wheel for instance, or perhaps even the boat throttle-like gear lever that sticks out from the floating centre console containing what looks to be the most simplified of HVAC controls ever seen on a car.
As for what powers this upcoming Aiways, unofficial reports have claimed that the same 140 kW electric motor as in the U5 will feature in the U6. Hooked up to a 63 kWh battery pack made by Tesla’s supplier CATL and featuring a low Cd factor of just 0.27, an impressive NEDC-rated range 650 km is supposedly on the cards for this crossover-coupe.
Set to go on sale come 2022, per-orders for the A6 have already begun in China for 66 yuan (RM 45). Much like the U5 too, Aiways also intends for this cool crossover-coupe to penetrate into the ever-growing European EV market.
