The initial product coming here from BAIC’s premium marque has landed as a budget treat.

PROPOSAL to position as an achievable premium electric make has not kept new entrant Arcfox from starting out with a car that’s price-aligned with the cheapest petrol product from a more utilitarian sister make.

Intent to release the Arcfox brand as a more exclusive alternate to BAIC cars was made clear when the latter began its national presence in March, as part of the Armstrong Group portfolio.

But that intent has kept the T1, a compact crossover with an urban focus, having landed with confirmation that it will initially sell for $34,990, rising to its actual RRP of $36,990 after a period of time.

That initial price aligns the T1 with the X55, the least expensive petrol car in the parent BAIC range, which will jump to $37,990 after September 1.

The models are very different, and X55 is larger, but the pricing seems to reflect the bullishness of BAIC, on of China’s largest, to cement a presence here.

Simon Rutherford, chief executive of Armstrong’s Auto Distribution Holdings Limited, is confident about the positioning.

The rise in interest in electric and electrified cars this year, driven by fossil fuel price and supply uncertainty caused by the Middle East ructions, makes this introduction well-timed, though it is also later than expected. Initially it had been hoped to have T1 in place by June.

“Kiwis have shifted to recognising that EVs are the right direction for the future and Arcfox is a future-focused brand which can help them on this journey,” Rutherford said in prepared comment shared to media today.

“The marque is modern, refined and stylish, with products designed to fit seamlessly into today's lifestyle. The Arcfox T1 delivers great looks, an excellent driving experience and provides escape and relaxation in a refined environment.”

While an unknown brand here, Rutherford - who before accepting his current tenure ran Ford New Zealand - says it is credible.

“Arcfox is very progressive and is positioned around ‘Smart, Elegant and Pure’. The T1 is a spacious and practical cross-over – neither a car nor a SUV but offering the driving dynamics of a car with the practicality of a SUV.”

He believes the new model will develop appeal from urbanites to modern families and empty nesters. “It will also find favour with the environmentally conscious and will be a good option as a company fleet vehicle.”

Arcfox only came into being nine years ago but has already risen to be the leading EV marque of the BAIC Group.

Positioned as a technology-driven brand, it benefits from global partnerships and a strong foundation in research and development within the new energy vehicle sector, Rutherford said in an earlier media share.

He asserted in March intent for Arcfox to “introduce intelligent driving hardware akin to that found in high-end EV models, but without the eye-watering price tag.”

The car lacks an ANCAP rash test rating, but instead achieves a five star under the Vehicle Safety Risk Rating process, which is mainly used for used import product that lacks export credential but is also now being applied to Chinese cars that do not represent in Australia, where the testing is undertaken.

The safety suite includes front, side and curtain airbags, Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Front Collision Warning (FCW), Pedestrian Collision Warning (PCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) amongst others.

Comfort, convenience and driver assist features are numerous. It has front and rear parking radar, 360-degree surround view and transparent chassis, automatic parking (parallel, perpendicular and exit) and safety systems including Automatic Emergency Braking, On-Off Adaptive Intelligent Cruise Control System and Traffic Congestion Assistance.

The T1 boasts a voice control user interface which is claimed to respond “quickly and accurately” to a wide range of commands, from opening and closing the windows to adjusting the air conditioning temperature or activating key vehicle functions.

Additional highlights including Apple Car Play, a 66-Watt wired front phone supercharger plus Vehicle to Load capability are also no-cost features.

The T1 has a six-year/ 200,000km warranty alongside an eight-year/ 200,000km battery warranty.

“The Arcfox T1 could be considered as a crossover, sitting in the sweet spot between car and SUV, complemented by a raised ride height. The package is considered and thoughtful, delivering space and comfort for all occupants,” said Shiguang Guo, Arcfox NZ’s general manager.

The car is delivering here with a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery capable of more than 300km, when measured to the NZ-accepted WLTP scale, however there’s another battery on the horizon.

The T1 is expected to be the first recipient within BAIC of a new sodium-ion battery said to deliver a full charge in just 11 minutes.

Labelled as a cost-effective, safer and more sustainable alternative to LFP, which is the favoured current chemistry, sodium-ion batteries deliver super fast-charging ability, much quicker than existing options.

According to BAIC’s research division, it has completed development of a sample sodium-ion battery which uses a prismatic cell format and achieves an energy density of 170Wh/kg.

It supports super fast ‘4C’ fast charging – that’s a minimum of 360kW – with a full charge completed in 11 minutes, the company announced in March.

Compared with lithium-ion batteries already used by millions of EVs, sodium-ion batteries require less raw materials to build as well.

Guo says more Arfox models will be announced, and released, over the next few months.