The SAIC Maxus Dajia 7 Is An EV MPV with Swappable Batteries

Recently made its debut in Malaysia, the all-new Maxus MIFA 9 is touted as the first luxury EV MPV to be sold in our local market. Priced competitively from RM269,888, the MIFA 9 seems like a pretty good and legit deal for those who are seeking for a luxury people mover, but we’d reckon its smaller sibling makes a better proportion to most Malaysians, provided that Weststar Maxus decides to bring it into our local market.

The SAIC Maxus Dajia 7 is essentially a smaller version of the MIFA 9, currently on sale in China

Known as the SAIC Maxus Dajia 7 for the Chinese market, this EV MPV is essentially a smaller sibling to the Maxus MIFA 9. Measuring 4,907 MM long, 1,885 MM wide and 1,756 MM tall, with a wheelbase of 2,975 MM, the Dajia 7 is slightly smaller than the fourth-gen Toyota Vellfire MPV, with the latter measuring longer and taller at 5,005 MM and 1,950 MM respectively.

Smaller dimensions aside, the Dajia 7 looks pretty similar to its bigger sibling, featuring the same boxy MPV silhouette and similar design cues. Key highlights include full LED headlights with a slim, full-width DRL bar, grill-less front face with sizable lower air intake, flushed door handles, as well as slim LED taillights at the back. Unlike the MIFA 9, however, the Dajia 7 is only offered with a single tone exterior hue.

The Dajia 7 features three rows of seat, available in both six-seater and seven-seater configurations

Another similarity between the Dajia 7 and the MIFA 9 is in its seating configuration, with both models offered in both six-seater and seven-seater layouts. While the seven-seater model gets a conventional 2-2-3 seating layout, the six-seater Dajia 7 comes with a unique 2-1-3 layout, where the front passenger seat not only can be slide back to the second row, but also can be electronically rotated 180-degrees to face the second and third-row passengers.

Being marketed as a luxury EV MPV, the Dajia 7 gets pretty elaborate cabin equipment. Key highlights include a trio of 12.3-inch screens at the front dash, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155-powered infotainment system, full panoramic glass roof, powered sliding doors, built-in refrigerator and many more.

The Dajia 7 comes in offered in both standard BEV and swappable battery BEV forms

Moving on to its battery spec, the Maxus Dajia 7 arrives in two versions for the Chinese market – a regular battery-powered EV version, as well as a BEV with a swappable battery sourced from CATL. Two battery sizes are offered to the EV MPV, either a smaller 77-kWh NMC unit that is good for a maximum EV range of 527 KM, or a bigger 90-kWh unit that offers up to 605 KM of range – both estimations are on the domestic Chinese CLTC protocol.

Regardless of battery types and capacities, the Dajia 7 is exclusively powered by a single electric motor setup rated at 244 PS (179 kW), which is good enough to propel the EV MPV to its electronically-limited V-max of 180 KM/H.

Previously made its inaugural public debut at the Chengdu Auto Show 2023 earlier this year, the SAIC Maxus Dajia 7 has gone on sale in China for few months already, with Car News China reporting the EV MPV is priced from CNY 259,800 to CNY 299,800 (RM168,251 to RM194,080), depending on the variants. For reference, the Weststar Maxus MIFA 9 is priced from RM269,888 to RM289,888 in Malaysia, which includes a comprehensive 5-year, 100,000 KM warranty and separate 8-year, 200,000 KM EV battery warranty.

So folks, what do you think of the SAIC MAxus Dajia 7? Should Weststar Maxus bring this smaller EV MPV into our local market to go alongside its bigger sibling? As always, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below...