Weltmeister (marque)
 | |
| Product type | Automobiles |
|---|---|
| Owner | WM Motor |
| Introduced | January 2015 |
| Markets | China |
| Website | http://www.wm-motor.com |
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Weltmeister (Chinese: 威马汽车) is an electric car brand owned by WM Motor Technology Co Ltd, a Shanghai-based automotive company specialised in the creation of battery electric vehicles (BEV's). In 2017, Weltmeister started a partnership with German specialty automaker and design service provider Isdera to design and produce electric cars, with the 2018 Isdera Commendatore GT being the first vehicle developed as a result of this partnership and was unveiled at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show.[1] It launched its first production car, the EX5 in May 2018 at the Beijing Auto Show, with deliveries starting in September 2018. WM investors include Chinese technology companies Baidu and Tencent.[2] Weltmeister vehicles are manufactured at WM Motor's self owned and operated manufacturing facility in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, which has an annual capacity of 100,000 units.[3] WM Motor also maintains R&D facilities in China, Germany and the USA.
WM Motor is expected to release its next pure electric SUV model, the EX6, at the 2019 Guangzhou Auto Show,[4] followed by a new 7-Series sedan at Auto China in April 2020.
History
WM Motor was founded in January 2015 by Freeman Shen,[5] a former executive at Geely and later Chairman of Volvo's China operations.[6] Prior to WM, Freeman also co-founded and was CEO of Pateo Group, a leading vehicle connectivity and telematics company.[7]
In November 2016, the company commenced construction of its first plant in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. The facility has been mass-producing the company's first vehicle model, the EX5, since 28 September 2018.
In August 2017, WM Motor acquired Polarsun Automobile (Chinese: 中顺汽车), a licensed passenger vehicles manufacturer in China, and subsequently gained the relevant licenses to produce all types of passenger NEVs.[8]
In January 2018, the company began construction of its second manufacturing facility in Huanggang, Hubei Province.
Manufacturing
Wenzhou Plant
Wenzhou Plant has a site area of 650,000 sqm, and is currently operational. The plant currently has an operating capacity of 100,000 units per annum. Construction of the facility began in September 2016, and mass production commenced on 28 September 2018.[9]
Huanggang Plant
WM Motor's second manufacturing facility in Huanggang, Hubei Province, is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in early 2020.
Mobile App - GETnGO
WM Motor operates a proprietary app called GETnGO (Chinese: 即客行), which is primarily aimed at offering search, navigation and payment options for public chargers in China. As of October 2019, the GETnGO app had registered 200,000 public chargers to the service through its partnerships with public charging providers, including the State Grid.
Models
- Weltmeister E5 (2021–present), an electric compact sedan
- Weltmeister EX5 (2018–present), an electric compact SUV
- Weltmeister EX6 (2019–present), an electric mid-size SUV
- Weltmeister W6 (2021–present), an electric compact SUV
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Weltmeister E5 -
Weltmeister EX5 -
Weltmeister EX5 Pro -
Weltmeister EX6 Limited -
Weltmeister W6 -
Weltmeister Evolve Concept -
Weltmeister Maven Concept
References
- ^ "Isdera teams up with China's WM on EVs". Automotive News Europe. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Chinese EV startup WM Motor raising at least $288 million from Baidu, others: sources". Reuters. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ Newby, Jack (29 March 2018). "Weltmeister's Smart SUV Rolls Off "Record-Breaking" Production Line". Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "WM Motor Debuts EX5 Pro at Auto Shanghai EX6 and EVOLVE CONCEPT Introduced". 16 April 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ "Major shakeout in Chinese electric cars seen by top startup". Nikkei. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "Weltmeister EX5: first electric car from $1 billion Chinese company you've never heard of". Green Car Reports. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "Freeman Shen". www.credit-suisse.com. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ "WM Motor gets production qualification via Polarsun Automobile". 23 March 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ "WM Motor delivers first batch of EX5, to hand over 100,000 EX5 cars next year". Gasgoo. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
