Oh how we used to laugh at the ridiculously bad design and poor specs of Chinese-made cars a few years ago. But we’re not really laughing as much or as hard nowadays because the PRC’s automotive scene improved significantly and is now making pleasant, credible electric crossovers like the ArcFox Alpha-T (also spelled α-T).

Sure, you may never have heard of ArcFox (which is a BAIC sub-brand) and yes, it’s a ridiculous name from a westerner’s point of view, but if you start to dig a bit deeper, you find there’s actually some substance behind this brand and its latest product. The Alpha-T is a good looking battery-powered small SUV that is the culmination of a joint venture between BJEV (itself an arm of BAIC and the brand that encompasses ArcFox) and Magna (the Canada-based global automotive supplier).

Unlike many other Chinese electric vehicles, the ArcFox Alpha-T is not cheap, with a starting price equivalent to nearly $40,000, according to CarNewsChina. And its 218 horsepower combined output from its two electric motors doesn’t sound like much. However, with a really big 93.6 kWh battery pack on board, you start to understand why its makers are asking as much as they are for it.

It apparently even has a claimed NEDC range of 653 km (406 miles), which equates to around 500 km (310 miles) as per the newer and more accurate WLTP test cycle. With a battery pack that big and based on these range claims, the Alpha-T should have no problem driving 400 km (250 miles) on a single charge.

Gallery: ArcFox Alpha-T

The source also says this vehicle has Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities (a system which its makers call α-Pilot) and that the plan is to build and sell as many as 180,000 vehicles per year from a factory located in China’s Jiangsu Province.

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