If we talk to you about the WEY brand, it is likely that you do not know it and that you feel that you have never heard of it. Don’t worry. WEY was also completely unknown to us until very recently.
if we had to summarize what WEY is in one paragraphwe would tell you what it is a Chinese manufacturer that next year will launch a luxury SUV in Spain which, as we will see below, points directly to high-end models such as the BMW X5 or the Mercedes GLE, with a larger size and a lot of technology. We would tell you that in addition it is a plug-in hybrid, much more powerful than its German rivals, with 476 hp, and also much cheaper. And we would say that, to curl the loop, it is capable of traveling 146 kilometers without spending a drop of gasoline. And another very important fact, that it has achieved 5 EuroNCAP stars and excellent results in terms of safety, at the level of, and even above, its European rivals.
Where is the catch? We have tested the new WEEY Coffee 01 to tell you about it. If there was some trap…
The WEY Coffee 01 is a luxury SUV, much more powerful, and with more electric range, than its German rivals
Video proof of WEY Coffee 01
My colleague David García Artés traveled to Portugal to see and drive the new WEY Coffe 01, whose video proof you can see in this article. To tell us if this car is really on paper it is better, in practically everything, than some luxury SUVs from brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, has a trap.
We must admit that for us it is also out of the ordinary to travel to meet a completely new brand, and even more so if it comes with such ambitious credentials. But the surge of Chinese brands and products expected in the coming years makes us think that this experience could soon become routine.
WEY in 5 keys
- WEY Coffee 01 will be on sale in Spain in mid-2023. At the moment we do not know how much it will cost, exactly, in Spain. But its price in Germany can serve as a reference, which should be very similar, where it starts at €55,900 with a huge endowment of standard equipment.
- It can be purchased at WEY dealerships, which will begin their expansion with the first concessions in Madrid and Barcelona in 2023, after which other dealers will arrive – we still do not know how many – distributed throughout Spain. Dealers will also have a workshop to offer technical service to their customers.
- The WEY Coffee guarantee 01 It will be 5 years with no kilometer limit and will be extended to 8 years for the battery.
- WEY is a Chinese brand, which manufactures its cars in China.. Specifically, it is the luxury brand of the Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor (GWM).
- In case you are wondering, WEY has already subjected its cars to the safety tests of EuroNCAP. and not only got 5 starsthe maximum score, but also some very high individual scores, higher in many cases than those of its European rivals, in protection of adult passengers, child passengers, pedestrian protection and driving aids and security systems.
WEY Coffee 01, the SUV you didn’t know yet
The WEY Coffee 01 is presented as an elegant SUV, which is undoubtedly aimed at a premium audience, but it could be said that quite sober, discreet, even insipid, for a car that tries to capture the client by its attractiveness, to project an image. As you can see in the video that we have prepared for you, the perceived quality is very high, to the point of having nothing to envy its German rivals.
The standard equipment is impressive. The most basic already has all the driving assistance you can imagine, 360º cameras, electric seats, 21″ wheels, head-up display, three screens and complete connectivity. All this for €55,900. Its rivals are less powerful , less equipped, and have less electrical autonomy, starting from prices that exceed that of the WEY Coffee 01 by at least €30,000.
There is also a Luxury version, for €59,900, with a panoramic roof, Alcantara upholstery, ventilated front seats and heated rear seats, 100% autonomous parking, head-up display with augmented reality and air quality control.
146 kilometers of electric range
To find out what we thought of his driving, we refer you to the video that you can see in this article and the test of my partner David. In any case, it is important to stress once again that it is technically a unique vehicle, which on paper would outperform its German rivals in all respects. To start with its high power, with a hybrid system that combines a 204 hp four-cylinder gasoline engine, along with two 163 hp (front) and 184 hp (rear) electric motors that bring the combined power to 476 hp. .
But above all because of its high electric autonomy with which it will practically always move in electric mode, unless we need to make long-distance trips. With a 40 kWh battery – similar to that of the entry-level Renault Zoe – this plug-in hybrid is capable of traveling 146 kilometers without spending a drop of gasoline and without stopping to recharge. A real barbarity.
