Aiways: Fabienne takes off into the world of electric vehicles

But first things first: It was a very special maiden voyage when two prototypes of the Aiways U5 set off from China to Europe on July 17, 2019. After 53 days, the electric SUVs arrived in Frankfurt am Main and stopped off in Zurich a few days later. The distance covered was almost 15,000 kilometers.

In November of the same year, TCS presented the SUV made in China in collaboration with Energie 360° in the E-Garden in Zurich's Glattzentrum. A few years later, the first U5s of the current series, which cost from 39,990 Swiss francs - fully equipped from 45,890 Swiss francs - have buzzed into Switzerland.

Switching from the Suzuki Vitara to the U5
Fabienne Louves from Emmenbrücke is also part of the group. From 1998 to 2003 she sang in the girl group Girls to Girls, which also opened for No Angels and Boney M.. In 2007 she participated in the casting show MusicStar, which she won. Albums, tours, TV shows, musicals, collaborations with star DJ Yves Larock, Polo Hofer and the Christoph Walter Orchestra followed. Fabienne Louves now wants to build on these successes with the Aiways U5. Previously driving a gasoline-powered Suzuki Vitara, her switch to the pure electric vehicle was a shift into the electric age.

Upon request there is also bright interior
For AutoSprintCH, Fabienne and Luca tested the U5 on a trip to Sardinia. And the first impression?

Fabienne: "I was amazed by the amount of space and the feel of the materials, everything is high-quality, the workmanship is impeccable. I really like the design. The fact that there is also a bright interior then completely convinced me."

Enough space for five adults
And how does the big SUV drive?

Fabienne: "The car runs smoothly and goes off like a rocket in Sport mode. I can sit in the back and stretch my legs. We could easily drive five people on vacation; the large trunk swallows tons. Between the two of us, we still had enough room with our vacation luggage and Poodle Henry to stow some rather large souvenirs."

Around camera when parking a help
And what about the usability of the navigation and infotainment system?

Fabienne doesn't think twice: "Sure, I had to get used to it a bit. Almost everything is controlled via the central display. That includes the panoramic roof, for example. There is no navigation system, but you connect your cell phone via USB and then navigate via Apple CarPlay - I'm an Apple user. Fits. A built-in navigation system is always outdated anyway, Apple CarPlay is always up to date. The all-round camera is a real help when parking, the system is simply ingenious. You can really see everything around the car and in top resolution."

Interest and important questions of the passers-by
How did passers-by react to the U5?

Fabienne: "When we stopped at charging stations, we were clearly the topic of conversation. People had rarely seen an Aiway before. People wanted to know from us how the U5 drives, what the car offers and, above all, what 100 kilometers cost. Fortunately we were prepared for questions. So: First of all, we could rely on the charging card from swisscharge.ch. So we knew exactly what each kilowatt hour cost us. We needed about 20 kilowatt hours for 100 kilometers. This means that about nine to 14 francs are charged for 100 kilometers, depending on the provider. That's something you can live with in this day and age - right?"

Test the Aiways U5 at Auto Zurich
If you want to know more about the U5 and take off for a test drive, experts will be on hand to answer all your questions at Auto Zürich until November 13, and test cars will be available outside the show. You can also take this opportunity to examine the factory-fresh U6.

Photos: Luca Schneider
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