A new SUV from Chinese car maker Wey has been exposed in registry filings released by the country’s Ministry for Industry and Information Technology.
Expected to take the name Wey 80 into production, the new seven-seat model is due to go on sale in China during the first half of 2023 before heading to export markets in the second half of next year.
The Wey 80 is based on parent company Great Wall Motor’s LEMON platform – a structure that also underpins sibling brand Haval’s new H6 SUV, with which it shares much of its mechanical package.
Sporting a highly distinctive front end with flamboyantly styled headlights and a frameless grille integrated into a large front bumper assembly, the latest Wey measures 5105mm in length and boasts a wheelbase of 3050mm, making it the largest model yet from the Baoding-based company, which was founded in 2016.
Images included in the registry filing reveal that Wey has developed a series of different grille patterns and tail-light treatments that buyers are expected to be able to order.
Power for the 80 comes from Great Wall Motor’s PHEV DHT drivetrain with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and gearbox-mounted electric motor. In the Haval H6, they develop a combined 326bhp and 391lb ft of torque.
A 34.0kWh lithium ion battery is also claimed to provide the Haval H6 with an electric range of up to 125 miles. The battery can be charged by the petrol engine and externally via either an AC or DC charger.
Official figures supplied by Wey to China’s Ministry for Industry and Information Technology for the 80 put its overall range at over 745 miles with a claimed consumption of 313.6mpg on the Chinese test cycle.
Although it has yet to be officially confirmed, the appearance of sensors within the front wings suggests the 80 will be the first Wey model to feature a lidar-equipped autonomous driving system with level three functionality.
Sibling brand to Great Wall Motor’s Ora, Wey has regularly indicated an intention to establish a European sales network, most recently in an official statement made at the Munich motor show.
