Wards Auto had the pleasure of sitting down with FAW’s President Mr. Li Jun and finding out some interesting info regarding FAW’s plans to make a low cost rival to the Chevrolet Volt. Li Jun claims the car will good for just one liter of fuel per 100km, which if true will be a wonder vehicle for Chinese drivers, add in its potentially low cost and it seems that it might be a winner. The only downside is that FAW have yet to produce a handsome vehicle by themselves.

From Wards Auto:

Li says the innovation lies in the parallel powertrain configuration: At low speeds, the concept runs on either electricity or energy from the internal-combustion engine, but at higher speeds both systems work together for maximum efficiency, until the battery is depleted.

Power comes from a new 0.67L 2-cyl. gasoline direct-injection turbocharged engine based on two engines already in production in Tianjin, a 1.0L 3-cyl. and a 1.2L 4-cyl. Current production for the two engines is 200,000 units annually, Li tells WardsAuto.

The 0.67L powerplant acts as an auxiliary energy supply similar to the 1.4L gasoline engine that generates power for the Chevrolet Volt EREV.

FAW uses a 9 kWh lithium-ion LG Chem battery, compared with the Volt’s 16 kWh unit, also supplied by LG Chem. The battery lies under the floor of the FAW car and weighs 231 lbs. (105 kg). Range is 37 miles (60 km), comparable with that of the Volt. Li says FAW’s research finds 37 miles of range to be more than adequate for most Chinese drivers.

FAW’s concept is able to compete with the Volt in terms of electric range because the Chinese vehicle will be smaller and lighter, Li says. The concept, a front-wheel-drive A-segment city car, has a curb weight of 2,425 lbs. (1,100 kg), compared with the Volt’s 3,781 lbs. (1,715 kg).

When the battery runs out of juice, the 0.67L 2-cyl. engine takes over, producing 56 hp at 5,000 rpm and 68 lb.-ft. (92 Nm) of torque at 5,000 rpm. The bore measures 2.83 ins. (72 mm) and the stroke is 3.18 ins. (81 mm).

A 12 kW generator works in tandem with a 360V traction motor and a 2-speed transmission to turn the wheels when maximum torque is required or when the battery is empty.

The FAW concept provides a mechanical connection between the engine and wheels. A downside of this configuration: The engine and wheels are never decoupled.

With a full tank of gas, the FAW concept has a combined range of more than 249 miles (400 km), Li says. The vehicle’s top speed is 99 mph (160 km/h), and acceleration from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) is 11 seconds.