Chinese electric to be US built

Chinese electric coupe the Qiantu K50 will be built in the US from 2020, possibly becoming one of the first Chinese-backed electric cars to be successfully produced there.

CH-Auto and Mullen Technologies, a southern California-based electric car distributor and manufacturer, are cooperating to produce the EV using assembly-ready products from China and key components from the US market.

It has an all-electric drivetrain producing 300kW of power, and features carbon-fibre body panels and an aluminium frame.

Limited reservations are being taken this year with Mullen suggesting the Qiantu K50 will be affordable. It’s likely to be sold directly to consumers and online.

Qiantu was founded in 2015 by CH-Auto, Automotive News reports. The K50 is made at the company’s Suzhou plant which can produce up to 50,000 cars annually.

Under a preliminary agreement, Mullen will assemble and market the Qiantu K50 electric sports car in North America.

Automotive News says Mullen also owns CarHub, a digital platform for buying, selling and owning a car.