SAIC Group’s Rising Auto is making waves in the Chinese automotive industry with the launch of its second model, the battery swap-enabled mid to large-size sedan, the Rising F7. At the launch event, Rising Auto revealed that the F7 is available in six versions, with a starting price range of RMB 209,900 ($30,490) to RMB 301,900, which is about half the price of the NIO ET7. The Rising F7 supports battery swap, allowing consumers to rent the battery while purchasing the vehicle body.
For those who choose to purchase the car without the battery, the Rising F7 will start at RMB 145,900. The car is an all-electric mid to large-size sedan with a length, width, and height of 5,000 mm, 19,53 mm, and 1,494 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 3,000 mm. It is available in single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor four-wheel drive versions, with the dual-motor model having a maximum total motor power of 400 kW and a peak torque of 700 Nm, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds.
The car’s smart cockpit system, Rising OS, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip and features a 43-inch integrated screen inside the car, including an LCD instrument screen, an OLED center console, and a passenger seat screen.
Rising Auto’s first model, the Rising R7 SUV, also supports battery swap, which can be completed in just 2.5 minutes under ideal conditions. However, Rising Auto is still in the early stages of infrastructure development, with only three battery swap stations in Shanghai and over 50 battery swap stations under construction in 10 cities. This is in contrast to NIO, which as of March 27, 2023, had 1,325 battery swap stations in China.
Rising Auto is a brand of SAIC, which recently announced a partnership with Sinopec, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), CATL, and Shanghai Automobile City to form a company specializing in battery swap services. SAIC said at the time that its Rising Auto, Roewe, MG, and Maxus brands would launch battery swap-enabled models.
While Rising Auto’s sales figures for this year have not been announced, the company delivered 1,501 and 1,523 vehicles in November and December 2022, respectively. With the launch of the Rising F7 and its focus on battery swap technology, Rising Auto is making a strong bid for a place in China’s rapidly expanding electric vehicle market.
