Hopping on the popularity of Chinese carmakers like GWM and MG in Thailand, Dongfeng Sokon (DFSK) is relaunching itself in the Kingdom. Unlike in Indonesia and Malaysia, DFSK won’t just be selling its Glory SUV range there, it would be bringing in the Seres range of electric vehicles (EVs).
DFSK’s Thai distributor, EV Primus Co., Ltd. announced its aim to launch the Seres brand by the end of 2022 and has previewed two models to the media. The two models previewed are the Seres 5 and the Seres 3 electric SUVs.
We start with the Seres 5, also known as the Seres SF5, which is a joint-development between DFSK and Chinese smartphone maker, Huawei. Despite the Huawei-integrated features like Huawei Intelligence Car (HiCar), Huawei Sound, and Huawei DriveOne Three-in-One Electric Drive, it isn’t a literal Huawei car. Just the technology is shared between Huawei and DFSK.
The Seres 5 is available in China with either rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or all-wheel-drive (RWD). The RWD variant is powered by a single AC synchronous electric motor (347 PS/520 Nm) while the AWD version is powered by 2 electric motors (551 PS/820 Nm). Both versions draw power from an 88-kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
The electric SUV comes with a Type-2 AC charging port (supports up to 11 kW) and a fast-charging CCS2 DC charging port that supports up to 100 kW. Under the latter, the Seres 5 can be charged from 0-80% in 30 minutes. It has a battery range of 430 km under the WLTP standard.
The Seres 5 is also equipped with a 1.5-litre engine that acts as a range extender once the remaining power is less than 20%. Thus, it might not receive the full import tax exemption for EVs if this were to be brought into Thailand.
But as we mentioned earlier, the Seres 5 isn’t the only EV expected to be launched by DFSK in the Kingdom. The Seres 3 is a more affordable alternative to the Seres 5 and while the latter looks futuristic, the former looks like a DFSK Glory with a blank front grille.
Perhaps it’s because the Seres 3 is merely based on the Glory 500 which is the smaller brother to the . The Seres 3 is slightly bigger than the and the and in Thailand, it will be a direct rival to the .
Dutch unit shown
Powering the Seres 3 is a three-phase asynchronous electric motor (163 PS/300 Nm) and power is sent via a 53.6 kWh lithium-ion battery with a range of 329 km under the WLTP standard. Charge time under a standard household socket takes 8 hours while it takes 30 minutes to charge the electric SUV from 20% to 30%.
Still, it’s unclear what is the maximum rate the EV can support and if you’re worried about that, the Seres 3 also comes with a range extender variant that uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine as a generator for the electric motors.
Dutch unit interior shown
Again, with the addition of the petrol engine, the range extender variants would not receive the full import tax exemption for EVs in Thailand. The Seres 5 and Seres 3 are expected to be launched in the Kingdom by the end of 2022 and will be imported from China, making Thailand the first right-hand-drive (RHD) market for Seres.
According to our colleagues at AutoFun TH, DFSK has been in Thailand for around a decade, initially focusing on commercial vehicles. The Chinese carmaker started selling SUVs in late-2021 and currently offers two models, the DFSK Glory i-Auto and the Glory 560, which are imported from Indonesia.
A DFSK dealer in Thailand
At the moment DFSK has 15 showrooms and service centres around Thailand but it aims to add 15 more dealers and to sell 1,000 vehicles in 2022. DFSK’s Thai distributor also aims to launch 3 new models within the next 2 years with the Seres brand spearheading its target.
Seres dealer in China shown
With DFSK struggling in its Southeast Asian (SEA) hub of Indonesia and looking dormant in Malaysia, will third time be the charm in the case of Thailand? The country’s willingness to take in Chinese carmakers and EVs might make Seres a better sell than its neighbours.
Keyword: DFSK relaunches in Thailand, to bring in Huawei-powered Seres EVs by end-2022