Chinese electric car brand AION has already launched its AION V electric SUV in the UK, and now looks set to deepen its market entry with the launch of the AION UT, an electric hatchback going on sale in September with prices starting below the £30,000 mark – although exact pricing for the model is yet to be confirmed.
AION enters the increasingly competitive sub-£30,000 EV sector
The launch of the AION UT comes at a busy time for the UK’s EV market, with a whole roster of compact electric cars on the market this year with prices below £30,000 – including the CUPRA Raval, Volkswagen ID. Polo, and Renault 5, just to name a few.
The difference with the AION UT, however, is that its length of just under 4.3 metres means it’ll offer significantly more space than these rivals – think more along the lines of Volkswagen ID.3 Neo or Renault Megane E-Tech in terms of size. These cars, however, start at prices further north of £30,000. If the AION UT can offer similar levels of practicality and on-board equipment while also achieving a high level of fit and finish, the brand could be on to a winner here.
It’ll use a 201hp front-driven electric motor to deliver a respectable 0-62mph time of 7.3 seconds, acceleration that puts it firmly in warm hatch territory. Range, meanwhile, has been rated at 268 miles on the combined WLTP cycle, while a 30-80% charge can take place in 24 minutes on a suitable public charger.
UK order books are set to open in September, so we’d expect to see final confirmation on pricing within the next couple of weeks.
Jon Wakefield, Managing Director of AION Auto UK, commented:
“The AION UT is a small car that acts big on longer journeys. It’s the perfect nippy weekday runaround, with the space and range to comfortably take the family on weekend road trips. With its styling led by GAC’s Milan design studio specifically for the European market, the UT’s playful character and exceptional specification – combined with our AION Great 8 Promise – is really going to appeal to anyone looking for more from a compact car.”
