Dongfeng Motor Corporation has launched a new electric vehicle (EV) brand, Nammi, at the 2023 Chengdu Motor Show this week as the Chinese state-owned automaker looks to strengthen its position in the fast-growing automotive segment.
At the Chengdu show, which runs from 25th August until the 3rd September, Dongfeng displayed its first model under the new brand - the Nammi 01 - based on the quantum architecture platform the company developed exclusively for its Nammi brand.
The platform has a short front and rear suspension design and has an active battery disconnection system in case of an emergency. It has the Mach E electric drive system, which integrates hub motors to fast-charging solid-state batteries which give it a range of 200 km with an eight-minute charge.
Dongfeng, based in Wuhan in China’s Hubei, said it will begin deliveries of the Nammi 01 in November, targeting the low-cost EV market segment established by SAIC-GM-Wuling’s Hongguan model. The company said it plans to launch of one or two new EV models per year under the Nammi brand.
Nammi’s general manager Chen Meng said a 150,000-unit sales target for the Nammi brand has been for 2024, rising to 400,000 in 2025.
Like other large state-owned automakers, Dongfeng is implementing a strategy based on multiple stand-alone brands to expand its presence in different market segments, with Nammi set to join the group’s Aeolus brand to help drive up sales.
Dongfeng’s vice-president Chen Hao said at the show “the unveiling of the Nammi brand will hone Dongfeng’s image as a carmaker of the masses. The company is determined in its resolve to engineer Dongfeng’s electrification drive”.
