Chery Fengyun A8 Debuts in China As A Sleek PHEV Sedan

The all-new Chery Fengyun A8 breaks cover in China as a sleek PHEV sedan

Chery is rapidly expanding its Fengyun new energy vehicle (NEV) series in China. Besides the upcoming Fengyun T9 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV, the Anhui-based marque is also welcoming its newest PHEV saloon model, touted as the Fengyun A8.

Also known as the Fulwin A8, this sleek new model is essentially a PHEV version of the marque’s current D-segment sedan fighter, the Chery Arrizo 8. As a result, the A8 looks identical to its ICE-only twin, featuring a sleek, fastback-style silhouette with sharp lights on both ends and wheel options ranging from 16- to 17-inch in size.

Besides sporting a different nameplate at its tailgate, the Fengyun A8 also sports a hidden exhaust layout, which makes it look less sporty and more ‘tame’ compared to the Arrizo 8, which boasts a quad-piped setup at the rear.

On board, the Fengyun A8 sports a pretty clean and modern-looking cabin design, highlighted by its dual-display setup at the front. Powered by Chery’s Lion 5.0 operating system with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, said dual-display layout measures 12.3-inch each, with one unit used for the central infotainment system while the other one is used for the driver’s main display.

As expected, said infotainment display comes standard with a built-in sat-nav system, over-the-air (OTA) software updates, remote functionality via a dedicated mobile app, as well as mobile support for both the Apple CarPlay and Huawei’s Hi Car.

The Fengyun A8 gets Chery's latest PHEV powertrain setup consisting of a 1.5-litre ACTECO petrol mill

Hiding beneath the A8’s hood is Chery’s latest-gen PHEV powertrain setup consisting of a 1.5-litre 4-cyl TGDI ACTECO petrol mill, which works in-tandem with a single electric motor setup to deliver a total system output of 355 HP (265 kW) and 530 NM. This setup allows the D-segment sedan to accelerate from nought to 100 KM/H in 7 seconds. Said electric motor is juiced by a small 18.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that provides the A8 with a decent EV-only range of 127 KM (CLTC).

Aside from both AC and DC charging, the A8 also supports Vehicle-to-Load functionality

Like most new PHEVs nowadays, the Fengyun A8 supports both AC and DC fast charging, as well as the Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function. Though no exact rates were revealed by the automaker, Chery claims that the A8 can be DC charged from 30% to 80% in just 19 minutes, while the slower AC charging takes about three hours.

Currently available for purchase in the Chinese market, the all-new Chery Fengyun A8 PHEV arrives in four variants, with prices ranging from CNY 119,900 to CNY 149,900 (approximately RM78,000 to RM97,000). As for now, the Fengyun A8 will remain a domestic market special for Chery, with the automaker yet to reveal any plans to export this PHEV to the international market.