Chery iCAUR V23 The EV With a Secret History

The V23 is the entry point to iCaur’s local line-up, but it does not behave like an entry-level product. Visually, it goes straight for the nostalgia hit. The silhouette is tall and blocky, with a flat bonnet, near-vertical sides, swollen wheelarches and chunky lower cladding. Round headlamp surrounds, slim running lights, chunky bumpers and a tailgate lamp cluster that looks like Lego for adults all lean into the theme. Some may even say it’s Land Rover-esque.

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The name changed, the plan changed too

Chery first showed the car in China in April 2024 as the iCar. Then the lawyers arrived. For export markets, including South Africa, the brand’s original name ran into Apple’s protection of its “i” family of trademarks. Rather than drag the whole thing into a public legal scrap, Chery renamed the export arm iCaur, pronounced the same way as i-car. That move cleared the path for international rollout without the kind of courtroom theatre anybody needs.

South Africa nearly got a second name change on top of that. Chery had originally planned to slot the car under the Jaecoo badge. That idea was dumped after an executive rethink, as reported by leading online platforms. The reason makes sense. Jaecoo is being built as Chery’s premium off-road brand, and this V23, with its bright colours, electronics-heavy cabin and youthful packaging, did not really belong under the same roof as the more conventional luxury positioning. So Chery cut it loose and launched iCaur as a separate all-electric brand instead.

Click here to read about the other EV SUV from the new nameplate.

Distinctive As You Like

Chery has kept the body design common across the range, whether you buy the 2WD or the AWD. The main visual split is in the wheels. The rear-drive model rides on 19-inch alloys wrapped in 255/55 tyres, while the dual-motor version gets 21-inch rims with 265/45 rubber. Both versions use LED lighting at both ends. Buyers can choose between Khaki White, Carbon Crystal Black, Cyan Grey, Starlight Silver, Texture Green or Warm Orange, which gives the V23 enough colour variety to suit those who want their EV to look more urban hatch than appliance.

The compact footprint is the clever part. At 4 220 mm long, the V23 is not pretending to be a full-size wagon, but its 2 735 mm wheelbase gives the cabin the kind of space that usually surprises people when they step inside. It seats five across two rows, with a 372 litre boot that grows to 994 litres when the rear bench folds flat. For a vehicle with this sort of styling, that is properly useful.

There is also a more playful layer. Owners can swap 24 exterior pieces, including grilles, bumpers and trim, to push the V23 toward a more city-friendly look or a rougher off-road aesthetic. That kind of modular dressing is pure gadget culture applied to a car.

The tech story sits inside

The cabin is led by a 15,4-inch touchscreen that handles vehicle settings, Bluetooth, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Voice control can be used for selected functions, and there are three front USB ports, including two Type-C sockets. Sound comes from a seven-speaker iCaur system. Leather upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats, seat ventilation and climate control are standard, while the AWD adds heated front seats. It is the sort of spec spread that leaves a lot of established brands looking lean.

Safety is equally well covered. Both derivatives get six airbags, ESP, traction control, EBA and Brake Assist. The 2WD adds cruise control and a reverse camera. The AWD steps up with a 540-degree surround-view camera system and a full ADAS list that includes Automatic Emergency Braking with vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle recognition, Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Jam Assist, Lane Departure Warning and Prevention, Lane-Keep Assist, Blind Spot Detection, Front Collision Warning, Reverse Collision Warning, Door Opening Warning and Drive Away Reminder.

The local range opens at with the 2WD version. The rear-drive derivative makes 100 kW and 180 N.m powered by a 60 kWh battery. It runs from 0 to 100 km/h in 11 seconds, tops out at 140 km/h and is rated for 360 km on a full charge. DC charging from 20 to 80 percent takes 36 minutes.

The AWD brings 155 kW and 292 N.m, cuts the 0 to 100 km/h sprint to 7,5 seconds, keeps the same 140 km/h top speed and uses an 82 kWh battery for a claimed 430 km range. Charging from 20 to 80 percent takes six minutes longer. It also gets an Off-Road mode, plus 600 mm of wading depth and 210 mm of ground clearance, which is not a toy figure on a car that looks this square. Both versions use front MacPherson struts and a multilink rear suspension, with ventilated front discs and rear discs.