Here we have a Dongfeng eπ 008 SUV, seen in Beijing earlier this summer. It was a brand-new car with a temporary license plate behind the windscreen. The pretty white color is called Morning White.
About the naming: Dongfeng is the company name, short for Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM). “eπ” is the brand name. ‘e’ is for electric, and ‘π’ is for the Greek letter Pi. The Chinese name is 奕派 (Yipai). eπ cars are manufactured and distributed by Dongfeng’s Aeolus division. eπ has a separate dealer network and a new logo, a modernized variant of the classic Dongfeng logo. Chinese car makers just love to launch new brands, but it seems they have run out of normal names, and many car makers are going for ever weirder naming schemes.
The eπ 008 SUV is the second eπ car after the eπ 007 sedan. The 008 is a full-size 3-row SUV with a great design. The 008 is probably the most beautiful SUV that Dongfeng has ever made. Probably the biggest too: 5002/1972/1732, with a 3025 wheelbase. The slippery body has a drag coefficient of only 0.268 Cd.
The interior is just as cool as the exterior, this particular car has a Pearl Red interior. The seats, tunnel, dash, and the steering wheel are all in red. It has real leather, not the fake imitation stuff. The eπ 008 is equipped with an 8.8-inch driver’s display and a 15.6-inch touch screen. The center tunnel has two cup holders and a double 50W wireless charger for smartphones. It also has L2 ADAS with 28 sensors, including 11 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, and five millimeter-wave radars.
The eπ 008 is a six-seat car with a 2/2/2 setup. The passengers in the second row have extra wide captain seats and they can enjoy a movie on the fold-down screen that is hidden in the ceiling. Check this photo for how it looks when the screen is in operation. There are tray tables too, armrests, and shiploads of legroom.
Nice looking aero wheels. The tires are 21-inch.
The Dongfeng eπ 008 is available with two power trains: EREV and EV. This is very common in China nowadays. EV-only car makers are the exception. The car in the photos is the EV. It is powered by a single electric motor at the rear. The output is 200 kW and 340 Nm. The top speed is limited to 180 km/h.
Love the light bar! Electricity is stored in an 82.28 kWh LFP battery pack. Chinese car makers are very precise with size, up until two numbers behind the dot. The electricity consumption is 14.7kWh per 100 kilometers, good for a CLTC range of 636 kilometers. Fast charging (30-80%) takes 28 minutes.
Badge on the left side: 东风, Dongfeng.
On the right: eπ008.
A very impressive machine. And the price is impressive too, in a good way. eπ sells only one variant of the 008 and it costs 193.600 yuan or $27.3K! Less than 30K for a full-size full-electric six-seat SUV with a big battery and a long range. Chinese consumers are the luckiest car buyers in the world right now.