iCar (marque)

iCar Ecological Technology Co., Ltd.
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Automotive
Founded	April 2023; 1 year ago
Headquarters	Wuhu, Anhui, China
Area served	China;
Key people	Chen Jian (brand operations officer)
Products	Automobiles
Parent	Chery Automobile
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	爱咖生态科技有限公司
Hanyu Pinyin	Àikā Shēngtài Kējì Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī
Website	https://www.icarglobal.com/;

iCar Ecological Technology Co., Ltd., trading as iCar (stylized as iCAR) is a Chinese manufacturer of electric passenger cars owned by Chery.

History

The name "iCar" was originally used by Chery several times in the second decade of the 21st century, including for the Karry brand's low-cost pickup model, the platform on which the Arrizo 7 sedan was based, and the Chery New Energy electric car service system^[2]. Finally, in April 2023, at the international auto show in Shanghai, iCar debuted as a separate, new brand of small, avant-garde styled electric cars within the Chery Automobile^[2] group. The profile of the new subsidiary was defined as aimed at young residents of Chinese metropolises, wanting to distinguish its cars, among other things, with a specific design^[3]. The first series product of the subsidiary was the compact crossover iCar 03, and in parallel, a demonstration study of the electric roadster iCar GT was presented^[4]. Pre-sale of 03 started in the Chinese domestic market in November 2023^[5], and the official market debut of the new brand was inaugurated in February 2024^[6].

While the iCar brand has retained its local character, the 03 model also debuted in May 2024 in the export market specification under the sister brand Jaecoo as the Jaecoo J6^[7]. In the meantime, in April of the same year, two more models were launched, heralding the expansion of the future iCar range. At the same time, the pre-production, small SUV V23 made its debut at the international fair in Beijing along with the X25 prototype, a variation on the theme of a minivan and an SUV^[8]. The serial V23 went on sale on the Chinese market in autumn 2024, contrary to earlier speculations having nothing to do with the automotive venture Xiaomi Auto^[9].