The model Zhiyin will be built by Voyah in collaboration with Huawei and is currently in the production validation phase, according to local media.

Dongfeng Motor's new energy vehicle (NEV) brand Voyah is reportedly launching a new SUV (sport utility vehicle) model that will compete with Tesla's (NASDAQ: TSLA) hot-selling Model Y.

Voyah plans to launch the new SUV, called Zhiyin, in the third quarter of this year, and will offer it only in a battery electric vehicle (BEV) variant, with no plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) variants, local media National Business Daily today quoted a Voyah insider as saying.

The model will be the first global model for the Voyah brand after it unveils its strategy to enter overseas markets during the 2024 Beijing auto show, according to the report.

The Zhiyin will be Voyah's most important model this year, tasked with expanding sales, and will be aimed primarily at young families, with its main competitor being the Tesla Model Y, the insider said.

Voyah's on-sale models include the Dreamer MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), Zhuiguang sedan, and Free SUV. The Dreamer and Zhuiguang are available in both BEV and hybrid versions. the Free was previously offered in BEV and hybrid versions, but the newly launched Free 318 is only available in hybrid variants.

Last month, the Voyah Zhiyin made its way into one of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) model catalogs, bringing core specification information to light.

The Voyah Zhiyin is a midsize all-electric SUV with length, width, and height of 4,725 mm, 1,900 mm, 1,636/1,653 mm, and a wheelbase of 2,900 mm, according to the filing.

For comparison, the Tesla Model Y has a length, width and height of 4,750 mm, 1,921 mm, 1,624 mm and a wheelbase of 2,890 mm.

The Voyah Zhiyin is powered by batteries supplied by CATL with pack capacities ranging from 76.9 kWh to 108.7 kWh, providing a CLTC range of up to 901 kilometers.

Yesterday, local media outlet Cailian reported that the Zhiyin will be a model built by Voyah in collaboration with Huawei, which is now in the production validation phase.

The model will be produced at the production facility of Dongfeng Nissan, a joint venture between Dongfeng and Nissan, in Wuhan, Hubei province, which previously produced the Nissan Ariya, according to the report.

On January 22, Voyah announced that it had signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei, saying that the two will accelerate the large-scale commercial application of intelligent technology.

Voyah's cooperation with Huawei is progressing smoothly, with the two sides regularly communicating and promoting project progress every month, Cailian quoted Voyah's CEO Lu Fang as saying.

Voyah is exploring a new model of cooperation with Huawei, which could be an enhancement or variation of the HI (Huawei Inside) model, Lu said.

Huawei undertakes a large number of projects, while Voyah provides the necessary support in terms of in-house research, according to Lu.

Voyah is a brand announced by Dongfeng Motor at the end of 2020, with the first model, the Voyah Free, launched in June 2021 in China.

On May 7, 2022, Voyah's second model, the Dreamer MPV, was officially launched. On April 18, 2023, Voyah's third model, the Zhuiguang sedan, was launched.

Dongfeng's NEV unit Voyah aims to sell 100,000 cars in 2024