MG Motor India had showcased Marvel X at the 2020 Auto Expo last year
Technologies which we used to just read about a few years ago have become a reality now. The latest leap in technological updates has been attained by Roewe Marvel R. China’s SAIC owns the MG and Roewe brand, and depending on the market – same cars are badged differently.
The Roewe Marve R which is a successor to the Roewe Marvel X (same as MG Marvel X) has been recently launched in China and it happens to be world’s first vehicle to get 5G connectivity, C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle to Everything) communication tech and even Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities.
What makes it special?
The highlight of the Marvel R is Huawei’s Balong 5000 multi-mode chipset which provides 5G connectivity to the car. Also, it is world’s first multi mode chipset which supports Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communications. In case you aren’t aware, V2X includes V2N (Vehicle to Network), V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure), V2P (Vehicle to Pedestrian) and V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) communications.
As per the company there are 17 scenarios in which 5G C-V2X can be used by the Roewe Marvel R. Additional benefit of a 5G chipset is that customers will be able to use V2X at low latency along with minimal power consumption. Overall, the electric SUV packs 28 sensors for Level 3 autonomous driving.
Powertrain
The Roewe Marvel R draws power from a 69.9 kWh battery pack which helps it with a range (NEDC) of around 505 kms. Standard charging procedure for the battery takes 12 hours however with a fast charger, battery levels can be pumped up from 30% to 80% in just 30 minutes.
Power delivery happens via 2 motors which are installed on the rear axle and generate 184 hp and 410 Nm of peak torque. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes 7.9 seconds.
Pricing and Variants
The 2021 Marvel R’s base variant is priced at CNY 219,800 (USD 34,040 / Rs 24.7 lakhs) while the Pro variant is priced at CNY 239,800 (USD 37,137 / Rs 27 lakhs). The discussed 5G connectivity and C-V2X communication tech is available as an optional R Pilot package which costs an additional CNY 30,000 (USD 4,646). This optional package is solely available with the Pro variant and cannot be purchased along with the standard trim.
With the Pro variant, Roewe is also offering an additional option to mount a third motor on the front axle at an additional cost of CNY 20,000 (USD 3,097). Thanks to the third motor overall power output figures reach to 298hp and 665 Nm of peak torque. Acceleration figures too improve to 4.8 seconds for a 0-100 km/h sprint however the downside can be felt on the range, which reduces to 460 km.
As per speculations, SAIC (Roewe’s parent firm) might plan to launch a 93 kWh battery pack on the Marvel R sometime in the future. This could come along with an AWD configuration and an overall range of 700 km per charge.
