To you, my love: China has adapted a hybrid crossover for Russia
The specifics of the Russian tariff policy forced GAC to create a hybrid crossover specifically for our market. Unlike the original, the model for Russia received a completely different power plant. The Izvestia correspondent found out how successful this adaptation turned out to be.
"Those eyes are opposite"
A row of colorful GAC S7 crossovers, lined up in the parking lot of Sochi airport, affably "shoots eyes" in the direction of a group of journalists. The organizers of the test drive displayed dynamic images of "cat's eyes" on the upper LED blocks of the two-tiered head optics, which were driven from side to side. Short text messages (no more than eight characters for each block) can also be displayed on the same screens via the menu.
The interior of the GAC S7, without any stretch marks the premium level of the car.
The menu also includes a layout in Cyrillic, but the welcome inscriptions are currently displayed only in Latin. At the same time, that "shifty eyes" or other animation, that text messages will be active exactly until the moment when the car is in Parking mode. At the beginning of the movement, all symbols disappear, and the LED displays themselves begin to function as daytime running lights.
These inscriptions and emoticons certainly look funny and cool. Although the practicality of such greetings, of course, is zero. Except to amuse the owner's ego by standing out in the parking lot, and somewhat enliven the rather ordinary appearance of the car.
Out of touch with the road
The GAC S7 appeared last spring. In the Chinese market, this model is equipped with a series-parallel hybrid powerplant with a total power of 501 hp. Under this scheme, in certain modes, a one-and-a-half-liter gasoline turbo engine not only recharges traction batteries, but also transmits part of the torque to the front wheels of the car. However, due to the peculiarities of Russian tariff regulation, GAC engineers had to create, in fact, a separate model with their own power plant for our country.
The fact is that until last year, the recycling fee for new electric vehicles and hybrids was only 32.6 thousand rubles. However, since January 1, 2025, it has increased 20—fold for "green" models - to 667.4 thousand rubles. And since last winter, when calculating the size of this collection, their capacity has also been taken into account.
Obviously, to bring a 500-horsepower car to the market under such conditions means that it is almost guaranteed to doom it to failure: the cost of the "original" S7 would be prohibitive. Therefore, for Russia, the total power of the power plant was "cut" to 340 "horses" (two electric motors with 231 and 109 hp), and at the same time the mechanical connection of the internal combustion engine with the drive wheels was removed. In the Russian version, the GAC S7 is an exclusively sequential hybrid, where the gasoline engine, in fact, performs the function of an on—board generator, without directly participating in the movement of the car itself.
It is also important that, according to our rules, when certifying "green" models, not the total total power of all electric motors and internal combustion engines is taken into account, but only the maximum 30-minute power of electric motors, which is indicated in the TCP. It is from this parameter that both the size of the scrap collection and the subsequent transport tax rates are calculated. On the S7, the "documentary" power is 122 hp. Thus, having created a special version of its hybrid crossover specifically for Russia, GAC killed two birds with one stone. On the one hand, they were able to keep the price at a more or less acceptable level, on the other hand, they gave future owners the opportunity to pay an annual transport tax at the subcompact level.
With an eye to premium
Despite the fact that the "Russian" S7 has had its wings clipped somewhat, you don't feel violated at all behind the wheel of a crossover. Even in comfort mode, with the smoothest possible reactions to pressing the accelerator pedal, the car starts very quickly. And when switching to sports mode, acceleration significantly presses riders into their seats. The machine exchanges the first "hundred" in 6.7 seconds (for the Chinese version it takes 5.8 seconds). For a five-meter crossover weighing more than 2.6 tons, this is a very decent result.
The GAC S7 accelerates to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds. The maximum speed is electronically limited to 185 km/h.
As the traction batteries are discharged, the dynamics of the GAC S7, of course, decreases. However, the driver can force the minimum charge level to be set, at which the internal combustion engine will begin to actively "power" the batteries. However, to do this, he first needs to figure out the intricacies of the confusing multimedia menu. It's difficult to do this on the go. And it can be difficult to find the right "button" on a parked car the first time — for example, it was possible to figure out the recovery mode settings only after the help of GAC representatives, who know in which "far corner" of the multimedia the right key is hidden.
Despite its impressive size and solid weight, the GAC S7 was pleased with its decent handling on the mountain serpentines in the vicinity of Sochi. The battery located under the floor provides the car with a low center of gravity — the car rolls less when cornering. At the same time, two electric motors actively "juggle" the thrust between the axles, additionally "twisting" the car into a turn.
Shock absorbers with a mechanical stiffness adjustment system are installed on the machine. Depending on the road surface, the shock absorber rod rotates around its axis, and valves with larger or smaller diameters come into operation. Nevertheless, the suspension operation was somewhat puzzling: on gentle waves, the rear of the crossover is rocking. But the joints and potholes in the asphalt don't seem to be noticed by the seven — the passage through them is displayed only by the characteristic muffled "slap" of tires.
In general, the comfort in the cabin of the GAC S7 can be safely attributed to the "premium" segment without any stretch. All seats are equipped with electrical adjustments, as well as ventilation and massage (not to mention heating), the right rear seat is additionally equipped with a pull—out ottoman, an abundance of leather (representatives of the company assure that it takes 30 square meters to finish the interior of one car) and suede, soft pillows on all headrests, door closers - all this it clearly hints at the level of the car. And the double side windows and more than 70 noise-insulating mats that cover the body reliably protect passengers from external noise, allowing them to communicate almost in a whisper.
In the market
The main advantage of hybrids over models with internal combustion engines is their "range". The S7 is fine with this: with a fully charged battery and a full tank of fuel, the car can travel more than 1,000 km. It will not be possible to get to Sochi from Moscow without refueling and recharging, of course, but it is quite possible to reach the border of the Rostov Region and Krasnodar Territory. At the same time, when using "fast" charging, you can raise the energy level from 30 to 80% in 18 minutes — just enough for a cup of coffee so that the driver can also "recharge".
Hybrids are largely niche models, so no one is talking about S7 sales in thousands of copies. GAC plans to sell approximately 250-300 S7 crossovers per year in our country. Against the background of the increased interest of Russians in hybrid models, these intentions are quite real.
Of course, at a price of 5.7–6 million rubles, you can't call this car cheap. However, due to the "Russian" power plant, the Chinese managed to keep the price at the level of their main competitors, and even slightly lower in comparison with some of them. At the same time, if a significant part of competitors are imported into our country through alternative channels, then the "seven" is officially supplied with a company guarantee, service support and maintenance. This is also an important factor in the struggle for a place in the market.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
