The Qiantu Motors K50 electric sports coupe is going to be made and sold in the United States in 2020. Qiantu, a Chinese car company owned by CH-Auto (another Chinese automotive company) is coming to market here thanks to an agreement signed with Mullen Technologies.
Mullen is a California-based, American vehicle manufacturer and distributor — the plan is to get Mullen to make Qiantus in North America, then sell them using Mullen's distribution networks. Yep, you read that right. A Chinese company is contracting an American company to manufacture something for them in the United States. This normally happens the other way around. No specific plant was defined for production, but we can assume it will be Mullen's future facility in New Moreno, Calif., that was detailed in a press release earlier this year. Within it, Mullen announced plans to collaborate with CH-Auto at this plant, but didn't say exactly what it was up to then. It should be made clear that this specific California manufacturing facility is planned, not completed.
Regardless of the logistics, the supercar-looking Qiantu K50 sports car is at least slated to be available for purchase stateside. Qiantu says 402 horsepower will be on tap, with power coming from two electric motors. Acceleration to 62 mph is done in 4.6 seconds, and it has a 124-mph top speed. A 78-kWh battery pack will be used, allowing for an estimated 236 miles of electric motoring per charge. The K50 utilizes an aluminum frame and carbon fiber body closures, leading us to believe this car will be pretty expensive. Mullen claims an "unexpectedly affordable cost" due to using a mix of American-sourced parts and imported assembly-ready components. That sounds like Qiantu might be shipping a giant Lego car set over to Mullen for final assembly, but things are still a bit hazy in that department. If you want to buy a K50 in China, the price is $109,320 when converted into U.S. currency.
Mullen has some history in making cars. We brought you news on the 700e years ago, which was essentially a Coda Sedan. Before that was the Mullen GT electric supercar. If you visit Mullen's website now, you'll find some weird golf cart things and a rendering of a sedan called the Mullen S Edition. Apparently, a Mullen Eno electric SUV is coming too, but there isn't much definitive news on any of it.
We mentioned Mullen's distribution networks earlier, which consists of Mullen-owned CarHub (a digital platform) and Mullen Auto Sales (a series of physical dealerships). This means you might actually be able to buy one from a dealer instead of the online-only experience that has been normalized for electric cars to a certain degree.
Qiantu's manufacturing facility in China has the capacity to produce as many as 50,000 vehicles per year, according to Automotive News. It's not clear yet how many K50s Qiantu and Mullen plan to produce for the United States. For now, you'll have to wait until 2020 to own one, with limited reservations to be accepted sometime in 2019.
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Mullen is a California-based, American vehicle manufacturer and distributor — the plan is to get Mullen to make Qiantus in North America, then sell them using Mullen's distribution networks. Yep, you read that right. A Chinese company is contracting an American company to manufacture something for them in the United States. This normally happens the other way around. No specific plant was defined for production, but we can assume it will be Mullen's future facility in New Moreno, Calif., that was detailed in a press release earlier this year. Within it, Mullen announced plans to collaborate with CH-Auto at this plant, but didn't say exactly what it was up to then. It should be made clear that this specific California manufacturing facility is planned, not completed.
Regardless of the logistics, the supercar-looking Qiantu K50 sports car is at least slated to be available for purchase stateside. Qiantu says 402 horsepower will be on tap, with power coming from two electric motors. Acceleration to 62 mph is done in 4.6 seconds, and it has a 124-mph top speed. A 78-kWh battery pack will be used, allowing for an estimated 236 miles of electric motoring per charge. The K50 utilizes an aluminum frame and carbon fiber body closures, leading us to believe this car will be pretty expensive. Mullen claims an "unexpectedly affordable cost" due to using a mix of American-sourced parts and imported assembly-ready components. That sounds like Qiantu might be shipping a giant Lego car set over to Mullen for final assembly, but things are still a bit hazy in that department. If you want to buy a K50 in China, the price is $109,320 when converted into U.S. currency.
Mullen has some history in making cars. We brought you news on the 700e years ago, which was essentially a Coda Sedan. Before that was the Mullen GT electric supercar. If you visit Mullen's website now, you'll find some weird golf cart things and a rendering of a sedan called the Mullen S Edition. Apparently, a Mullen Eno electric SUV is coming too, but there isn't much definitive news on any of it.
We mentioned Mullen's distribution networks earlier, which consists of Mullen-owned CarHub (a digital platform) and Mullen Auto Sales (a series of physical dealerships). This means you might actually be able to buy one from a dealer instead of the online-only experience that has been normalized for electric cars to a certain degree.
Qiantu's manufacturing facility in China has the capacity to produce as many as 50,000 vehicles per year, according to Automotive News. It's not clear yet how many K50s Qiantu and Mullen plan to produce for the United States. For now, you'll have to wait until 2020 to own one, with limited reservations to be accepted sometime in 2019.
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