Almost as quick as Tesla’s rocket - and half the price.

EFFORT by China’s electric car makers to win over electric car fans looking for performance cred has stepped up, with Dongfeng attaching extra-aggressive stickers to its 007 flagship.

In positioning at $59,990 in its top-line 400kW all-wheel drive Performance, the low-slung coupe-roofed five-seater is comfortably undercutting rivals from the better-known alternates out of China, let alone the barometer-setting Tesla Model Y Performance.

Those who find great appeal from 0-100kmh data will note the Performance model, with a claimed standing start to legal open road limit time of 3.9 seconds, is just 0.4s off that cited for the Model Y Performance, a $101,000 car.

It is also challenging the step off cited for product from established premium brands that price even higher than Musk’s fastest product here.

“At $59,990, no other large sedan offers this level of performance and technology,” claims Simon Rutherford, chief executive of Armstrong’s Distribution Limited, the national rights’ holder to Dongfeng.

“The Dongfeng 007 fundamentally changes the large EV sedan conversation in New Zealand.

“It delivers the kind of performance, refinement and space buyers expect from premium European brands, but at a price that dramatically lowers the barrier to entry,” Rutherford says.

Dongfeng has a handful of national outlets, and the car will avail for test drives from next month.

In addition to the Performance, Dongfeng has a Long Range rear-drive 007 for $54,990. Both rely on a 70kWh LFP battery supporting DC fast charging at up to 200kW.

The rear drive car’s outputs of 200kW and 320Nm are half those cited for the Performance, but range for the less athletic car is much stronger.

Dongfeng cites 520 kilometres’ from the Long Range using the WLTP calibration that is now mandatory here, where as the Performance runs out of zap at 389km.

That’s well short of the Model Y Performance, for which around 580kms’ is cited. Tesla does not share battery sizes, but it is understood the Model Y Performance has a 79kWh unit.

The 007’s design features frameless doors, hidden door handles and an active shutter grille that optimises both cooling and efficiency. The 2915mm wheelbase provides a roomy interior, though the tall will discover the sleek profile impinges on head room.

Both variants take a 1.84 quart metre panoramic glass roof, have 19-inch alloy wheels and ventilated front seats and a 15.6-inch digital interface powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 computing chip. The system also supports the vehicle’s built-in recording function using onboard cameras.

Apple CarPlay is standard, with Android Auto available as an option, running through a 19-speaker WANOS theatre-grade sound system with integrated headrest speakers and ambient lighting synchronisation.

Standard safety equipment includes six airbags, rear parking sensors, and a 540-degree surround-view camera. Advanced driver assistance systems include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and blind spot monitoring.

The 007 has been assigned a five-star Vehicle Safety Risk Rating - was with the Vigo and the Box, there is no ANCAP rating because Dongfeng is among very few makes out of China whose regional entry has yet to include Australia, where the NZ-recognised test is undertaken.

The 007 comes with a six-year/200000km vehicle warranty, eight-year/200000km battery warranty, and six-year roadside assistance coverage.

Dongfeng launched late last year, making ripples by siting Box as the country’s cheapest new electric car.

That $29,990 sticker is a promotional lure, whose deadline has just been extended to the end of April.

Box ran into controversy in being meted a ‘unrated’ credential from NZTA, this on basis the car sold here has a lower count of safety features than the example tested by Euro NCAP.