We know that Chinese automakers have big ambitions, even if their product certainly doesn’t match the enthusiasm. Now he wants to dominate the world of the vacuum cleaner manufacturer, which set out to develop the fastest and most luxurious cars in the world, and at the same time dethrone Tesla.
The existence of the Tesla car company helped start the entire automotive industry. In addition to traditional car companies, dozens of startups were also inspired by its success, especially in China. All have great ambitions, but some aim even higher. Another such company is a company that only announced its automotive ambitions at the end of last year.
Dreame Technology is a home appliance manufacturer from the Chinese city of Suzhou, not far from Shanghai, since 2017. It is also active in the Czech Republic, where its robotic vacuum cleaners and hair dryers are sold, for example. The company is also known for its high-speed electric motor technology, and last year it was the first in the world to receive certification for its “digital motor” with 200,000 rpm.
Last year, however, the company also announced its entry into the world of automobiles, and from the beginning it raised a lot of questions. According to the company, the first model was supposed to be the fastest car in the world and become a competitor for, for example, Bugatti. How literally this was meant was shown with the first photos of the concept, which looked like a four-door copy of the Bugatti Chiron.
The world’s fastest car is to be built in Germany. It’s an embarrassing Bugatti copy
After that, more information began to leak out into the world, and it did not improve our opinion of the new project much. The upcoming models are to be produced in a factory near Berlin and, in addition to the fake Bugatti Dream, they are also targeting the luxury market and Rolls-Royce. Again by blatantly copying the design, as shown in leaked photos of a very accurate copy of the Cullinan SUV.
But we learned more only this January at the CES fair in California. There, Dreame cars were officially presented for the first time, three of them under two brands. The first of them is the Nebula Next 01, which is supposed to be a competitor for Bugatti. The car has the shape of a hypersport, but it’s a four-door sedan, which ultimately doesn’t look much like a Bugatti. Drive is provided by four electric motors with a combined output of 1420 kW. The company did not say much else about the car, but it should be produced next year.
In addition to the Nebula, another brand, Kosmera, also showed up at CES with two very fast-looking sedans. Neither apparently steals much from the existing cars in terms of looks, although the horseshoe-shaped grille did eventually make its way here. At CES, the company did not say what kind of technology the kosmers have, but it should be the same as in Nebula.
Two brands are clearly not enough, as Dreame boasted a third one at the beginning of February. This time, Star Motor is focused on luxury SUVs and off-roads, and renderings of three models were shown at the presentation in China. The Star T08 and its extended version T08L look very similar to the M-Hero 917 sold in the Czech Republic by Dongfeng. The cars differ only in a few details, so it is likely that it will only be a modified M-Hero.
Not just Bugatti. A cheaper copy of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is also to be produced in Berlin
The European version of the M-Hera 917 in pure electric version has a power of 800 kW, a maximum torque of 1,400 Nm and a nickel-cobalt-manganese Qilin battery from CATL has a capacity of 142.7 kWh. Each wheel has its own electric motor and the car can, for example, crab walk thanks to the swiveling rear axle. In the REV version, the bike is powered by three electric motors, which can be powered by the internal combustion engine in addition to the battery. In that case, they only have to make do with “only” 600 kW, which is supplied by a 145 kW incinerator.
Another model of the new brand is the Star D09, which is a large and luxurious-looking SUV that does not look like a Rolls-Royce. In profile, however, it resembles the Voyah Taishan car, which also falls under the Dongfeng car company. Even in this case, it can be about cooperation. The Taishan has a plug-in hybrid drive, an output of up to 490 kW and a battery with a capacity of up to 65 kWh.
Dreame has big ambitions and certainly does not plan to limit itself to the Chinese market. After the launch at CES, it will also be presented with an advertisement during the American Super Bowl game and has also paid for billboards in American cities. With his prediction of the future, the CEO of Dreame Jü Chao also attracted attention on social networks: “In 20 years, Tesla will become the iRobot of the electric vehicle sector,” Yu Chao wrote, adding that they would accompany the company “continuous losses until they eventually leave the electric car market.”
He further speculated: “Elon Musk won’t admit it, of course; he’ll say he withdrew voluntarily.” The company iRobot was known as one of the first manufacturers of robotic vacuum cleaners (Roomba), but it went bankrupt last year and it is being sold to China. According to the Chinese, Yu Chao does not hide the fact that he wants to surpass Elon Musk in terms of wealth.
Martin Vaculík and Michal Dokoupil about cars in China • Source: auto.cz
Source: Dreame, photo source: Dreame, video source: Auto.cz
