We managed to find out that last year they already managed to produce about 10,000 K1 pickup trucks, and for this year they plan to increase the production run to 20,000 vehicles. To this end, production is being modernized and expanded.
What is notable about the car from Kawei Auto? Most likely the fact that it is a clone (with Asian features) of the FORD F-150. Nevertheless, answering the questions of our journalist, the Chinese comrades traditionally stated that this is their own development and it only remotely resembles the American counterpart.
It must be admitted – they were being modest. The remoteness is more like direct copying. The cab and interior differ from the original perhaps only in the quality of materials and the specific smell of formaldehyde, characteristic of all budget-level Chinese cars.
The most interesting thing is that the advertising brochure of the new car contains a reference to the American progenitor. But this is a tradition of the Chinese auto industry - to convince foreign journalists of their own developments, and to tell their own buyers the opposite. The client must be sure – he is driving almost an "American". And for a complete feeling, you can buy a set of FORD badges and show off to your fellow tribesmen.
If you abstract from the smell, everything in the interior is made quite neatly. The seats are upholstered in two-tone "young leatherette", the plastic, although hard, visually looks good, in the middle of the dashboard there is a huge multimedia monitor and rear view camera, and traditionally for a Chinese car, a full electric package.
But what is far from the American counterpart is the powertrains. As you know, the Ford F-150 is equipped with large powerful gasoline and diesel engines. In the Chinese clone, everything is much simpler: 3.2 L diesel (107 hp) and gasoline 3.2 L (143 hp). The gearbox is only a five-speed manual. The top speed is worthy only of trucks - 120 km/h for diesel and 130 km/h for the gasoline version.
Nevertheless, we must give credit to the entrepreneurs from the Celestial Empire, who are developing the auto industry and are ready to invest funds in new projects.
The cost of the Kawei Auto K1 is approximately 16-17 thousand US dollars.
