Chinese automaker SERES Group chose Hong Kong’s International Automotive & Supply Chain Expo on 19 June to unveil the right-hand-drive version of its DFSK E5 PLUS sport-utility EV. The model, certified to Euro 6d emissions standards and priced at HK$299,800 (sub-US$40,000 after rebates), is targeted squarely at fleet operators and long-stay expatriates who need private transport but wish to avoid the city’s escalating first-registration tax on internal-combustion engines. Local leasing firms such as Orix and Dah Chong Hong told Global Mobility News they have provisionally ordered 300 units for corporate packages that bundle insurance, wall-box installation and access to over 4,000 public chargers. The E5 PLUS’s 510-kilometre WLTP range covers a full round-trip from Central to Shenzhen’s Nanshan tech district and back—important for managers who cross the boundary several times a week. The Transport Department confirmed type-approval was granted earlier this month, meaning plates can be issued immediately. Companies enrolling vehicles under the government’s Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles scheme will benefit from a 50-per-cent discount on the GBA e-toll tag if they register an EV, further sweetening the economics. Analysts view the launch as a test case: if mainland brands can price EVs below the HK$300k psychological threshold while meeting right-hand-drive safety specs, the expatriate segment—around 8 per cent of vehicle registrations—could tilt decisively electric within two model cycles.
Source: BusinessPressWire
