The iCar V23 is one of two models earmarked for South Africa in early 2026. We had a sneak preview at Auto Shanghai.
Visually resembling a cross between a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, Jeep and Suzuki Jimny, the iCar V23 is set to join the 03 model when the brand launches in South Africa in 2026. As a reminder, there’s been a U-turn on strategy with the Jaecoo J6 reverting to its original iCar 03 name.
iCar’s presentation at Auto Shanghai made no attempt at hiding its inspirations, with the Toyota Land Cruiser, Mercedes-Benz G-Class and classic Land Rover Defender pictured alongside the V23. Box-shaped family SUVs with offroad aspirations are all the rage these days and it’s not just the Chery Group taking advantage of the trend, as the recently-launched Tank 300 from Great Wall Motors has proven popular locally.
With a length of 4 220 metres and a wheelbase of 2 730 mm, the iCar V23 is roughly the same size as vehicles like the Volkswagen T-Roc, Honda HR-V but with a clear offroad adventuring bias. Speaking of, there’s a wading depth of 600 mm, ground clearance of 210 mm and approach and departure angles of 43 and 41 degrees respectively.
V23 Performance and Range
There’s no low-range transfer case but this brings me to the powertrain. Right now its electric only and customers have the choice of either a single motor offering up 100 kW and 180 Nm driving the rear wheels. A 59.93 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery gives it a range of 401 km, according to China’s CLTC which we suspect is kind. China offers this derivative with an 81.76 kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery, giving it up to 550 km. Again, pinch of salt here.
The all-wheel-drive derivative adds a motor to the front axle and total output climbs to 155 kW and 292 Nm. This model is only available with the nickel manganese cobalt battery and it has a range claim of 501 km. Every derivative features vehicle-to-load (V2L) with 3.3 kW outputs, useful to power accessories if you’re out in the wilderness. iCar claims fast DC charging can get the battery from 30-80% in around 30 minutes.
Customisation
The retro offroader is claimed to be modular and customisable, but retaining functionality. Sure, its nice to be able to choose from multiple wheel designs and front grilles, but being able to remove to mount accessories like roof racks, additional lights takes things to another level.
Inside, the cabin is a great blend of modern high tech and old-school cool. There’s no instrument cluster, but iCar will sell you one (and I hope iCar SA makes this a standard feature). There’s a cool phone mount for the front, while the drop-down tablet mount for the rear passengers is a stroke of genius as the brand doesn’t need to supply a tablet.
The 15.4-inch touchscreen dominates the cabin, but fear not as while the majority of functionality is located within this display, there are quite a few rugged-feeling switches and buttons. I am fond of the rotary mode selector and there are also auxiliary switches located on the roof for accessories.
Sure, it may aimed at the adventuring type, but there’s no shortage of tech here, like the advanced safety features like auto emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and auto parking, for example.
Quick Thoughts
I was invited by Omoda and Jaecoo to China to experience its latest wares, and while I didn’t get to drive the V23, I had plenty of time inside and out, both at the Auto Shanghai exhibition and private events at Chery’s headquarters in Wuhu, Anhui Province.
The variety of colours and accessories on the show stand was incredible, and iCar even had a bakkie concept which looks likely to go into production.
The V23 is just the start from the iCar brand. We also had the chance to see a bigger model called the V25 and unfortunately this was a closed-door event, so no photographs – sorry! But, we can tell you it adopts very similar boxy styling inside and out.
The most interesting part of the V25 was its powertrain, which ditches the pure electric setup and instead uses a range-extender with an internal-combustion petrol engine. On-site brand representatives confirmed a smaller model than the V23 and a much larger SUV were in the works too.
I suspect it’ll sell on pure novelty alone, but critical to the iCar’s success is powertrain diversity. Pure battery electric is a tough sell in a market and it feels counter intuitive to offer an electric car to those seeking an escape from civilisation. The lack of a spare wheel also raised an eyebrow, but I am told this will be addressed.
For me, the takeaway word here is quality. It’s simply staggering how quickly the China-based brands have been able to learn from previous products and manufacture at scale at such a rapid rate. As a reminder, it also helps to have joint ventures with legacy brands and being able to tap into their expertise.
When will the iCar V23 go on sale in South Africa?
The iCar brand with its two products are earmarked for a 2026 introduction and we’ll be following the brand’s gestation closely. How much would you be prepared to pay for one of these cool retro-inspired offroaders?
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