Meet China’s new $10,000 EV: The Chery QQ Domi

It’s not a BYD, but you can buy one in China for less than $10,000. Chery’s “fashionable and fun” new QQ Domi electric SUV starts at just 54,900 yuan ($8,300), stoking China’s brutal EV price war.

Chery launches China’s newest $10,000 EV: The QQ Domi

Chery launched the mini electric SUV on Tuesday, offering it in two trims. The base QQ Domi starts at a limited-time price of 59,900 yuan ($8,300) with a CLTC range of 305 km (190 miles).

Upgrading to the extended-range model, with a CLTC range of 405 km, costs 69,900 yuan, which is still under $10,000.

The Chery QQ Domi measures just 3,720 mm in length, 1,700 mm in width, and 1,608 mm in height, or about the size of BYD’s top-selling Seagull EV (3,780 mm x L, 1,715 mm x W, 1,540 mm x H).

Both versions come with a 10.25″ floating central infotainment and 7″ driver display screens, voice recognition, a rear park radar, and a reversing image. The higher-priced trim includes vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities, enabling the vehicle to power devices, home appliances, and other electronics.

The entry-level variant is equipped with a 28.5 kWh battery, while the extended-range model uses a 39.33 kWh battery. Both can be recharged from 30% to 80% in around 30 minutes.

Chery’s new QQ Domi will compete in China’s low-cost mini EV segment with the BYD Seagull and others. The Seagull is BYD’s best-selling EV in China, with prices starting at just 69,800 yuan ($9,700).

After another round of price cuts last month, the Seagull EV now starts at just 55,800 yuan, or about $7,800. Last week, the China Automobile Manufacturers Association (CAMA) warned (via Bloomberg) that an automaker’s recent price cuts are “triggering a new round of price war panic,” but didn’t single out BYD specifically.

The CAMA’s statement said that “Disorderly price wars intensify vicious competition, further compressing corporate profit margins.”