The Voyah Free, which we first caught a glimpse of at the 2020 Beijing Motor Show, is an all-electric SUV that made its debut in the Chinese market shortly after the concept reveal. Built with some help from Italdesign, the chic crossover uses the company's ESSA platform which employs a dual-motor drivetrain that delivers 671 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. Using this, it'll sprint from 0-62 mph in an impressive time of 4.8 seconds.
The premium crossover is packed with essential features such as air suspension, a plethora of Advanced Driver Assist Systems, Dynaudio premium speaker system, ambient lighting, and three digital screens placed alongside one another on the dashboard. In China, prices for this range start at ¥313,600 which is about $50,000, making it a compelling offering that's much cheaper than the likes of the BMW iX.
Visually, the Voyah Free has been penned with predominately European-minded design cues. Traditionally, Chinese manufacturers are accused of flat-out copying popular cars, but this electric crossover has an overall unique design. Still, we can't help but notice that it bears some strong similarities to the Porsche Cayenne at the rear with its solid lightbar and gloss black lower bumper.
The front keeps things simple but distinctive with a pair of slim LED headlamps separated by a bold grille with chrome trimmings. The bumper features dynamic lines that integrate faux-air intakes and a satin chrome anti-scuff plate for a slightly more robust look. At the profile, you'll notice that Voyah has opted for a slight floating roof design, retractable door handles, and roof rails. A gloss black contrasting roof rounds off the premium appearance.
Since its market introduction at the beginning of 2021, the Voyah brand has sold 6,791 cars, of which 3,330 were sold in the last month of 2021. The momentum has no signs of slowing down, with the brand confirming that its 10,000th car rolled off the production line on January 21 this year.
With this confident strong start in its home market, Voyah has decided to introduce the Free to the Europeans, starting with Norway. The new dealership will be located in close proximity to Oslo's Grand Palace and will open its doors to public consumers by June. Deliveries are set to take place by the fourth quarter of this year.
Voyah says that this is just the start of its global adventure and that it has desires to expand its offerings to the rest of the world. It's not yet clear when its premium van, the Dreamer, will join its SUV companion. Both the Free and Dreamer employ the same architecture which houses an 88-kWh battery pack. A generous range claim of 534 miles has been stated, but this is based on the old and conservative NEDC testing cycle.
Voyah is the premium arm of Dongfeng, who is currently in partnerships with the likes of Stellantis, Honda, and Renault-Nissan. It's not the only Chinese conglomerate that is gunning for the global EV sphere. Major names such as Geely, Nio, and more have all detailed aggressive strategies and formed crucial partnerships with major manufacturers that could see them dominating the market in years to come.