The new variant of the Jiyue 01 has a CLTC range of 720 kilometers and a starting price of RMB 249,900 ($34,510), which sits in the middle of the two previously available variants.

Jiyue, the electric vehicle (EV) maker created by Baidu in partnership with Geely Holding Group, has launched a new variant of its only model currently on sale, the Jiyue 01, which brings a longer range.

Jiyue launched the Jiyue 01 Max Long Range yesterday with a starting price of RMB 249,900 ($34,510).

The SUV (sport utility vehicle) model was initially launched on October 27, 2023, and was previously offered in two variants -- Jiyue 01 Max & Jiyue 01 Max Performance.

The Jiyue 01 Max and Jiyue 01 Max Performance are powered by 71.4 kWh and 100 kWh battery packs, respectively, and were priced at a starting price of RMB 249,900 and RMB 339,900 at launch, respectively.

On November 30 last year, Jiyue reduced the prices of both variants by RMB 30,000, bringing the starting prices to RMB 219,900 and RMB 309,900 respectively.

The newly launched Jiyue 01 Max Long Range, like the Performance variant, is powered by a Li-ion ternary battery pack from CATL with a capacity of 100 kWh.

The new variant is a single-motor model like the entry-level model with a CLTC range of 720 km.

Its entry-level variant is powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery with a CLTC range of 550 kilometers. The Performance variant with dual motors is 660 kilometers.

The Jiyue 01 Max Long Range is a rear-wheel drive model with the same powertrain as the entry-level variant.

The new variant has an electric motor with 200 kW of maximum power and 343 Nm of maximum torque and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds.

The more powerful Performance variant has dual electric motors with a maximum power of 400 kW and a maximum torque of 686 Nm.

Jiyue is renamed from the brand formerly known as Jidu. Geely and Baidu established the joint venture Jidu in March 2021, which was then 55 percent owned by Baidu and 45 percent by Geely.

On August 15, 2023, Geely announced that it was launching a new brand, Jiyue, in conjunction with Baidu.

The operating entity of the new Jiyue brand is 65 percent owned by Geely, with the remaining 35 percent owned by an affiliate of Baidu.

The Jiyue 01 is based on Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) and is built at Geely's plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

At the 2024 Beijing auto show in late April, Jiyue debuted its second model, the Jiyue 07 sedan, which is expected to begin deliveries later this year.

($1 = RMB 7.2418)

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