At the IAA Mobility in Munich, China’s Great Wall Motor unveiled two new brands, Wey and Ora, with which it intends to attack European markets starting from next year. Wey is a premium brand that will focus on the production of high-end cars with hybrid engines and at the German show it showcased the Coffee 01, a large SUV that aims at excellence in every respect.
What strikes us most about the car is its style. It is refined but never over the top, and therefore somewhat rather European. The front end is imposing, above all because of the large grille with its pattern of vertical chrome bricks that echo the elongated Wey emblem. For the remainder, the car has balanced proportions, with clean sides (complete with retractable handles) and a roof that slopes down towards the rear exuding dynamism on a body that is 4.87 metres long, 1.96 wide and 1.69 high. The chrome trim is also well thought out and effectively emphasises the side windows, the lower guards and the shape of the air intakes.
The equipment is state-of-the-art in terms of safety, with the latest generation of driver assistance devices, and in terms of infotainment, which uses 5G connectivity. The system is controlled by a huge 14″ touchscreen that is cantilevered over the centre of the dashboard: an ideal extension of a very high and marked central tunnel with a characteristic sloping shape. In addition to the infotainment monitor, the Wey Coffee 01 has a second 7.5″ display, located immediately below, equipped with augmented reality, and a third 9.2″ screen behind the steering wheel, dedicated to digital instrumentation.
The Wey Coffee 01’s materials, shapes and on-board technology are meticulously designed, and it also impresses with its plug-in hybrid powertrain. Not so much for the 475 bhp developed by the system, but for the 150 km of autonomy in purely electric mode guaranteed by a huge 41.8 kWh battery, which powers two electric motors combined with a 2-litre petrol engine.
