Aiways U5 SUV is coming to UK in 2023

Airways was established in 2017 by a former chief of sales at Volvo - Fu Qiang. Company has a 300,000 vehicle factory in China and its European headquarters are in Munich, Germany. Airways is looking to expand its products to right-hand-drive markets with the UK being one of the first ones.

The car Aiways has in mind to be the first one on the UK market is the U5 SUV. It has been in production since 2018 and it’s a medium sized SUV. At 4.7 meters long with a 2.8 meyers wheelbase the U5 is just a smidgen longer than Skoda Enyaq and the two will become competitors once the U5 reaches UK shores.

The U5 received its first facelift last year but it was only a cosmetic job, there were no significant changes introduced to the car. It comes with a 63kWh battery and WLTP claimed range is 400km (248 miles) with DC charging time of 35 minutes from 20% to 80%. AC charging takes 10 hours from flat to full battery.

There is only one electric motor powering the front wheels and it has 201 hp (150kW) and the torque stands at 310 Nm (230 lb ft) which allows the car to accelerate in 7.5 seconds from 0 to 100kph. It clearly won’t break any speed records.

The Aiways U5 was Euro NCAP tested in 2019 and received 5 star rating. The standard ADAS systems include: Lane Keeping, Traffic Jam Assistance which is an active cruise control, Blind Spot Detection, Emergency Brake Assist. The car has the Rear Cross Traffic Alert as well as Forward Collision Warning, Parking Assistant for autonomous parking and High Beam Control to avoid blinding oncoming traffic.

The infotainment is taken care of by 12.3” central screen and audio comes with 8 speakers. There are two versions of the car - Prime and Excite, with the latter removing the glass roof and other equipment to lower its weight and extend the driving range. Suspension is handled by Macpherson setup up front and independent multi-link at the rear.

The car is available across Europe at a starting price of €38,275 and in the UK it will start at GBP 33,500 with apparently 3,000 vehicles already sold to customers from the Old Continent.

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