[Aditya]

Big shoutout to Vid6639 for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Haima Automobile, a Chinese auto maker, showcased two of its passenger vehicles – 7X and 8S – at the Auto Expo 2020. Haima has neither set the specific deadline for the launch of these two vehicles, nor closed in on any price points for the models specific to Indian market. The company is currently studying the auto market in India.

Bird Electric, previously Bird Mobility has, since the last 10 years, been the exclusive distributor of Segway Personal Transporters (PTs). The company has entered into a technical collaboration with Haima New Energy - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Haima Automobile Group to manufacture an electric car - Bird Electric EV1, which has been showcased at the Auto Expo 2020.

Here is a look at the Haima pavilion:

[Aditya]

The Bird Electric EV1 is fitted with a 20.42 kWh / 28.5kWh lithium battery and electronic control system and has a torque of 95 Nm / 150 Nm. The car's claimed top speed is 120 km/h and a power consumption of Rs. 60 per 100 km.

The EV1 battery-powered vehicle is likely to be manufactured at a soon-to-be-set-up plant in Manesar (Haryana). The first lot of Bird Electric EV1 would take at least 12-15 months for rolling out. Expected price = ~ Rs. 10 lakh:


Headlamps get integrated LED DRLs. Charging port is located at the front:


Measures 3,680 mm in length, 1,570 mm in width and 1,530 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,340 mm and ground clearance of 160 mm. Kerb weight = 930-1,035 kg:


AC slow charge & DC fast charge mechanism. EV1 is expected to be introduced in two variants with driving range of 202 km and 301 km per charge, respectively. Charging time = 9-11 hours (full charge):


All black interiors with a 7-inch LCD instrument cluster:


Safety features include 2 airbags, ABS+EBD, hill-start assist and reversing camera:


Touchscreen infotainment head-unit:


Automatic transmission with Eco and Sport driving modes:


Available in a 5-seater configuration:


Luggage capacity = 150 litres:

[Aditya]

The Haima 7X is a 7-seater MPV, powered by 1.6-litre, T-GDI engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission:


Front end is dominated by a large black grille:


Upper part of the tailgate and area around the tail lamps is finished in piano black:


LED DRLs and projector headlamps. Fog lamps are located on the bumper:


Dual-tone interiors with piano black and silver inserts:


Leather wrapped, multifunction steering wheel. instrument cluster and the infotainment head-unit are integrated into one large display:


Automatic gear lever with a plethora of buttons on either side. Switches for the electronic parking brake and auto hold function are placed on the center console:


Captain seats with individual armrests for the second row passengers:


"Family" inscribed on the scuff plates:

[Aditya]

The Haima 8S is a 5-seater SUV powered by a 1.6-litre T-GDI engine that produces 192 BHP & 195 Nm and is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission:


Measures 4,565 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width and 1,682 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,700 mm and ground clearance of 213 mm. Kerb weight = 1,560 kg:


Upper part of the of the tailgate is finished in piano black. Exhausts get chrome tips:


Features include Eco / Snow / Sport drive modes, 360-degree camera, TPMS, hill start assist, front collision warning and hands-free tailgate:


LED DRLs on the top with headlamps located lower on the bumper:


Chrome detailing on black grille:


300 GDI badge on the front left body panel:


ORVMs get integrated turn-indicators and cameras underneath for the 360-degree view feature:


Window line rises after the C-Pillar. B, C & D-Pillars are blackened to give a floating roof effect:


Comes with a panoramic sunroof, roof rails, black body cladding and 19-inch alloy wheels:


Black interiors with red highlights:


Flat-bottom steering wheel. Black upholstery with red stitching:

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene!

[Batfreak]

As much as I am enthused by the prospect of having an even more competitive automotive market with more options for the buyers, I cannot help but be sceptical about the prospective success of FAW and Great Wall.

In India, cars, especially in the higher segments are still an aspirational product. The bigger challenge for these brands would be to reverse the negative brand value that is associated with them, even before they start off. After all, how the customer perceives the product's traits is, in a lot of cases, more important than what the product actually delivers.

The way SAIC handled this issue with MG is a brilliant case study. Every communication, marketing tactic and customer experience has been designed to reiterate and reinforce the idea that MG is a "quintessentially British brand". Check out this video that they recently posted about their setup at the Auto Expo and notice the messages being sent out by the top leadership:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkfn5qV0PF4

This, I anticipate, would not be as easy for a car that is carrying a HAVAL or HAIMA branding up-front. It would be interesting to see how the new entrants tackle this challenge.

[vipul_singh]

Originally Posted by Batfreak

The way SAIC handled this issue with MG is a brilliant case study. Every communication, marketing tactic and customer experience has been designed to reiterate and reinforce the idea that MG is a "quintessentially British brand"
.

Apologies for posting a contrarian opinion, but the non-car people in my office all well understand that MG is Chinese. Even YouTube comments on vernacular channels (non-English) suggest that people are aware that this is a Chinese car.

I think we have media coverage to thank for this awareness about MG. It does not seem to have really affected their prospects, however.

[evoker]

The Haima 8S looks quite similar to the Hector. Are the two brands related?

[viren83]

Originally Posted by evoker

The Haima 8S looks quite similar to the Hector. Are the two brands related?

Yes. Both are Chinese

I'm sure that very few would have heard about HAIMA brand.
Although, 8S looks slightly better than Hector and 7X can easily pass as a SUV if the front & rear bumpers made shorter.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

The Hiama 8S and the Tata Altroz have almost the same tail lamp treatment. Looks quite similar and an untrained eye can easily pass it for either of the cars!

The name Haima sounds more like "Hai" "Ma" - an expression usually girls make when astonished.

[agspins]

Haima seems to be inspired from Mazda a lot (even there Logo), probably the reason being their earlier JV. 8S looks like a restyled Mazda CX5, while 7X is more confused design lexus like front.

[John]

Originally Posted by agspins

Haima seems to be inspired from Mazda a lot (even there Logo), probably the reason being their earlier JV. 8S looks like a restyled Mazda CX5, while 7X is more confused design lexus like front.

Haima was founded in 1992 as a joint venture between the Hainan provincial government and Mazda to produce Mazda models for sale in China. In 2006, FAW acquired Mazda's share of the venture, although many Haima models still incorporate Mazda technology.