The Dutch car market will soon be a new brand richer! Green Mobility Group Europe will bring SERES to our country this year. The information is still scant, but sounds promising. The SERES 3 is the brand’s first car to focus entirely on electric cars.
SERES is a car manufacturer whose name may not mean anything to you. SERES is a brand established in Silicon Valley, where Tesla has its roots, and was established in 2016 by the Chinese Sokon Industry Group. The company was initially called SF Motors, but was later renamed SERES. SERES owns, among other things, the former AM General factory in the American state of Indiana, the production facility where Hummers and the Mercedes-Benz R-class were produced in the past. None other than Martin Eberhard, co-founder of Tesla, was briefly active at SF Motors / SERES as Chief Strategy Officer.
Back to what SERES wants to sell in the Netherlands, and through which construction. SERES says it will ‘very soon’ place the first copies of the 3 at a total of nine Dutch car dealers. SERES has not yet released any information about the 3. Techzle did some digging, and ended up with the Dongfeng Fengon E3, a creation of DFSK Motor. DFSK Motor is a joint venture between Dongfeng and – you guessed it – Sokon Industry Group (photos 3 to 8). This completes the circle. The SERES 3 seems to be a version of the Fengon E3 lined under the wing of SERES.
If the specifications of the SERES 3 match those of the Fengon E3, that means that the SERES 3 will also be a 4.39 meter long crossover with a wheelbase of 2.66 meters. The Fengon E3 is 1.85 meters wide and 1.65 meters high. The front axle of the Fengon E3 has a 163 hp and 300 Nm strong electric motor. The battery pack has a capacity of 52.6 kWh, good for a range of 405 kilometers according to the Chinese NEDC cycle.
SERES is not the only brand with a Chinese background that has European plans. BYD, among others, is coming to our country next year and MG has been very popular in the Netherlands for a short time with the electric ZS EV. The Chinese manufacturers have also found the European market for commercial vehicles. For example, Maxus has also been selling its orderers in our part of the world for a while.