Luxury electric vehicle brand ArcFox set for NZ

The next new carmaker to join the New Zealand market has been confirmed as Chinese luxury electric vehicle maker ArcFox.

The brand will come via Auto Distributors New Zealand (ADNZ), which has made a name of itself lately for bringing manufacturers from China into the country. These include Leapmotor, Dongfeng, and most recently BAIC.

“In the next two years, BAIC will launch at least five new cars in New Zealand, including our ArcFox pure-electric, and off-road vehicles including SUV and pick-up,” ADNZ chief executive Simon Rutherford told attendees at last week’s launch of the BAIC brand in Auckland.

Timing for ArcFox’s arrival to the market will be somewhat dependent on the early success and progress of BAIC. The brand is expected to arrive between Q4 of this year and Q2 of next year.

“[ArcFox could launch] anywhere between the end of this year and early next year. What we’re trying to do is establish BAIC first, but we have built ArcFox into our dealer and distribution planning assumptions,” Rutherford added.

Rutherford did not confirm which ArcFox variants are being targeted for our market. The brand’s line-up in its homeland includes a series of SUVs, a pair of electric sedans, and a people mover. 

Given the popularity of the mid-size SUV segment, the T5 seems a likely pick-up for our market. 

The attractive crossover is sold as either a plug-in hybrid or as an EV. The former combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a 27.4kWh battery, and boasts a pure electric range of more than 200km. 

The EV, meanwhile, is available in China with three different battery options. The largest, a 79.2kWh unit, boasts a CLTC-rated range of 705km. Its 800V architecture can be charged from 30 to 80% capacity in as little as 15 minutes.

ArcFox also produces a smaller electric crossover called the Alpha T1, which would go head to head with the likes of the Leapmotor B10 and Omoda E5. It comes with two batteries, the larger unit being a 42.3kWh battery with a range of 425km.

Another model that could appear here is the Alpha S5 [shown in lead image]. The sleek sedan could rival the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and DongFeng 007. It too is available with a 79.2kWh battery, with its CLTC-rated range sitting at 708km. And in its quickest spec, it can accelerate from a standstill to 100kph in 3.7 seconds.