In December 2024, sales of two crossovers of the Soueast brand will begin in Russia. A car of the S09 model will cost 3.5 million rubles, the more compact S07 will cost at least 2.9 million rubles. The S06 crossover will be released in 2025. “This year we are already…
socialbites.ca
Chinese car company Soueast has entered the Russian market. Why is it interesting? Southeast crossovers will appear in Russia at prices starting from 2.9 million rubles 09.18.2024, 18:42
By
Anika
September 19, 2024
In December 2024, sales of two crossovers of the Soueast brand will begin in Russia. A car of the S09 model will cost 3.5 million rubles, the more compact S07 will cost at least 2.9 million rubles. The S06 crossover will be released in 2025.
“This year we are already planning to launch two models on the market – these will be the S09 and S07 crossovers, which will occupy the SUV C and SUV D segments, respectively. Next year we plan to start selling the S06 model. At the same time, we are also exploring the possibility of launching other models,” a company representative told socialbites.ca.
He added that new models that will meet the needs of a wide audience are planned to be introduced to the Russian market in the most popular market segments.
closed
Southeast S06
Southeast
What is the Southeast?
The Soueast brand was founded in China in 1995 and at the first stage received licensing agreements for Mitsubishi models. The first of these was the Delica minibus, which the company launched in 1996, and the plant was operating with an annual capacity of 150 thousand vehicles in 2003. Three years later, Mitsubishi entered the capital of the young Chinese company. And in 2021, the Japanese automaker stopped cooperating with the brand, which by that time had not shown the best financial results.
Everything was going to the point that South East would be suppressed by strong competition in the local market, until the Chery concern, which was not only not gaining momentum in China, became the new owner of the dying brand.
The Soueast brand has been under the auspices of the Jetour brand (owned by Chery) since 2024.
clarifies “Auto review”. The S09 and S07 crossovers are clones of the Jetour X90 Plus and X70 Plus, respectively, but have an original design.
Southeast S09
The S09 crossover will be offered in Russia with a seven-seater cabin, as well as all-wheel drive and a hydromechanical automatic transmission. In terms of size, it is close to the Geely Okavango known to Russians.
The initial cost of the S09 in Russia is 3.5 million rubles, but the company plans to disclose detailed technical specifications of the model closer to the start of sales. In China, the Soueast S09 is equipped with 1.6 and 2.0 turbo engines.
closed
Inner Southeast S09
Southeast
The car will be available in Russia in seven body colours, including black and white, as well as various shades of blue and grey. There are many colour options for the interior. Soueast suggests that the most popular in Russia will be classic black and red with black elements.
Southeast S07
The S07 crossover has not yet been declassified. However, it will also feature a hydromechanical transmission and all-wheel drive, as well as a seven-seater interior. According to experts interviewed by socialbites.ca, there is now a large supply of crossovers in the C and D segments on the Russian market, so the new brand is waiting for serious competition.
“The segment between 3.5 and 4 million rubles is now full of strong players. Considering that there will be an increase in prices from October due to the increase in the recycling fee, we can expect cars that currently cost 3 million rubles to be included in it, auto expert Pyotr Bakanov told socialbites.ca.
closed
Southeast S07
Southeast
According to him, products from the Soueast brand will have to compete with the recently updated Russian-made Haval F7, the entry-level Jetour T2 and Geely crossovers that already have an established reputation in Russia.
“You have to understand that Jetour is to some extent Chery’s brainchild. Technologies, engines and gearboxes are interconnected here. We can assume that Soueast will have similar technologies to the Chery brand,” Bakanov said.
According to Sergei Udalov, general director of the analytical agency Autostat, the introduction of different brands with a small model range into the Russian market is beneficial for the distributor, but not for dealers.
“The policy of division into different brands and audience segmentation works. From the distributor’s point of view, it makes sense for each dealer to focus on a narrow target segment. Since the model range of each brand is small, the dealer has to make more efforts in sales,” Udalov told socialbites.ca.
Competition is high in the crossover and SUV segment, with the largest number of vehicle sales in the C segment, led by Haval Jolion. Udalov noted that there are currently more than a hundred models in this segment. He also added that it is easier for brands that are in the orbit of a large company to enter a new market and promote themselves.
“I think the same Southeast will be promoted at the expense of Jetour. They will say that this car is the same Jetour, but somehow better,” concluded Udalov.
Already this year, crossovers from the Chinese automaker Soueast will start selling in Russia. Two models will be released in December, and the other is scheduled to go on sale in 2025. What kind of cars the new brand will offer to Russians is in the socialbites.ca article.
Source: Gazeta
