Beijing (ZXZC)- ROX, the auto startup project founded by Chang Jing, the founder and CEO of China’s intelligent cleaning robot company Roborock, is said to launch its first vehicle model in the third quarter of 2023, according to a local media outlet.

Photo credit: ROX

Similar to the Chinese tech giant Huawei’s “Huawei Smart Selection” automaking pattern, it is possible that ROX will also cooperate with automakers, providing them with product definition, marketing, and core intelligence technologies, instead of producing vehicles independently. The most likely automaking partner to ROX is Beijing Automobile Works (BAW), said the local media channel. 

The source disclosed that ROX and BAW’s first cooperative model may be a rugged-looking off-roader riding on a range extension system with an estimated price of roughly 400,000 yuan. In view of the industry's current average battery-powered range of about 200km, the intelligent range extension system of ROX is likely to carry a battery with higher energy capacity, to improve the overall range of the vehicle to more than 1,000km.

Photo credit: BAW

Founded in 1951, BAW is one of the oldest carmakers in China. The company relocated from Beijing to Qingdao, the coastal city in Shandong Province, in 2020. At present, the company has four production bases in Qingdao, Dezhou, Linyi, and Huanghua, as well as an office in Beijing. BAW is licensed to produce conventional and new energy SUVs, sedans, trucks, buses, military vehicles, and modified vehicles with an annual output capacity of 450,000 vehicles.