iCaur V25’s boxy design will come with an EV range trade-off

The upcoming iCaur V25 will bring an 80kWh battery to Australia, but its claimed driving range trails several SUVs with similarly sized batteries, a gap iCaur attributes in part to its boxy design.

Speaking with Australian media including CarExpert in China, iCaur Australia product manager Derek Tian confirmed the mid-size electric SUV will come with a lithium iron phosphate battery supplied by CATL.

“WLTP range is about 368km,” Mr Tian said.

Asked whether the V25's square body design explained the relatively modest range from an 80kWh battery, he replied: “The boxy shape [affects its aerodynamics], yes.”

The V25 is due to lead iCaur’s Australian launch in early 2027, with Mr Tian suggesting it could arrive towards the end of the first quarter.

Mr Tian said iCaur had tested the V25 on Australian roads.

“We have done road testing too. Driving in Australia, on the highway and in town, 300km [range] is okay,” he said.

Mr Tian also discussed the competitor models iCaur had benchmarked ahead of the V25's local introduction, one of which isn't an electric vehicle (EV).

“I researched the Suzuki Jimny and Kia EV5. The EV5 is also boxy, but it is a family SUV,” he said.

The front-wheel drive EV5 Air Long Range claims 555km WLTP from an 88.1kWh battery. That's 187km more than the V25’s quoted figure, from a battery with 8.1kWh more capacity.

Another mid-size electric SUV, the rear-wheel drive BYD Sealion 7 Premium, claims 482km from its 82.56kWh battery, while the entry-level Hyundai Ioniq 5 claims 570km from 84kWh on its standard 19-inch wheels.

Australian EV specifications compared

An Australian V25 evaluation vehicle was registered with a 2120kg tare weight, however, this is not the confirmed production weight of the 80kWh version.

The Kia EV5 Air Long Range weighs 2054kg tare, compared with 2229kg for the dual-motor GT-Line.

For any car, let alone an EV, weight matters because a heavier vehicle needs more energy to accelerate and climb and generally puts more load on its tyres. Regenerative braking recovers some energy when slowing down, but it doesn't eliminate those demands.

Aerodynamics become particularly important at highway speeds. Drag depends on both how cleanly air flows around the vehicle and the frontal area it presents to that airflow.

In still air, with the vehicle’s aerodynamic characteristics unchanged, travelling at 110km/h instead of 100km/h increases aerodynamic drag by 21 per cent. That is the increase in air resistance, and the boxier and less aerodynamic the shape, the higher that drag will be.

The extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) version of the V25 sold in China measures 4636mm long, 1920mm wide and 1855mm tall. That makes it 140mm taller than the EV5.

Elsewhere in the Chery Group, Exlantix sells the ES sedan and ET SUV in Denmark with similar sized 77kWh CATL LFP batteries.

The rear-wheel drive ES Advanced claims 525km of WLTP range, while the all-wheel drive ES Ultimate claims 500km. The larger ET claims 461km in rear-wheel drive Advanced form, and 411km as the Advanced 4WD.

Further down the Chery range, Australia's E5 Ultimate small SUV claims 430km WLTP from a much smaller 58.9kWh LFP battery. It weighs 1776kg tare and measures 4424mm long and 1588mm tall.

The V25’s boxy design is central to iCaur’s pitch. International CEO Ronna Luo previously told Australian media: “Make the classic design your style and your taste.”

Buyers wanting that design with a combustion engine will eventually have another option, as Mr Tian confirmed the battery-electric V25 will be joined here by EREV versions of the larger V27 and then the V25, both incorporating a petrol engine to recharge the battery but not drive the wheels.

MORE: Explore the iCaur V25 showroom