Chery introduces all-new Exeed Sterra ES Sedan

18 August 2023

Chery isn't playing games when it comes to their high-end brand, Exeed. And the Sterra ES, touted as its first electric vehicle under the Exeed banner, is looking to put a significant exclamation point on its entry into the EV market. Just a heads-up, the Exeed Sterra ES isn't yet another boring EV - it's like the summa cum laude of electric cars.

Before we get a closer look at this new entrant to the EV universe, we need a little bit of clarification. Chinese companies aren’t really famous for their product naming skills, and Chery is not an exception. Its brand Exeed has an uncanny resemblance to Luxeed - which is Chery’s other brand created in cahoots with Huawei.

You see, Luxeed just unveiled its electric sedan codenamed EH3, for the lack of an official name. And this one is painfully similar to the new Exeed Sterra ES despite Chery and Huawei pinky-promising they are. Right.

Back to Exeed Sterra then - this medium-to-large sized sedan is showing off with an impressive drag coefficient of 0.205Cd. If that sounds like geeky jargon to you, think of it this way: the lower the coefficient, the smoother the car moves through the air. Essentially, it's like that one friend who can seemingly glide through a crowd without knocking over anyone's drink. Handy, right?

Dimensions? This car is stretching out at 194.7 inches/77.9 inches/58.3 inches with a wheelbase of 118 inches. There are four powertrain options. From a single 230 kW motor paired with CATL’s tricky lithium iron manganese phosphate battery to dual motors that take battery pairing to another level with CATL’s ternary lithium + iron manganese phosphate lithium batteries. Depending on the powertrain, there are options for two-wheel and four-wheel drives and an 800V high-voltage fast-charging platform. This baby can allegedly pump up for a 93 miles drive with just a coffee break's worth of charging (that’s 5 minutes in case you don't drink coffee).

The most important number – the Sterra ES boasts an electric cruising range of 447 miles. And if you're the impatient type, going from 0 – 62 mph happens in just 3.8 seconds. Your morning commute might just become the highlight of your day. The range though, as usual, will require a lot of skepticism, these are CLTC estimates for now.

Stepping inside, it's clear that this isn’t your grandma's Camry. A nearly 16-inch floating central control screen reigns supreme, flanked by a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel and a rather posh two-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel. If you're a fan of keeping up with tech trends, you'll appreciate the operating system - it’s powered by Huawei’s Harmony OS. The extra sprinkles on this digital sundae include an AR-HUD digital head-up display, a Bose audio system (because what's a drive without some tunes?), and wireless charging for mobile phones. And because they apparently weren’t luxurious enough, the seats are dressed to the nines in Nappa leather.

And just when you think that’s all the bells and whistles possible, Chery sprinkled in a touch of the future with the LION AI system in the Sterra ES. Think voice control, facial recognition, AR navigation, and even smart home capabilities. While Sterra prepares for its market debut, Exeed is already promising we can expect more electric goodness in the coming years, with launches lined up until 2026 - two more electric cars this year, a large SUV next year, and another SUV in 2025 accompanied by a sporty coupe and a 7-seat MPV. Yeah, and US and European automakers are still scratching their heads about how China has managed to become the top of the EV industry.

Via