Hawtai is still alive but they ain’t kicking very hard, sales are slow and their cars are aging. On the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show they tried to add some blood to their body with this Hawtai WS55 sedan, sporting a distinctive Ford snout.
The WS55 however is not really new. It is basically a facelifted and renamed variant of the Hawat Lusheng E80, which was born as the Lusheng E70 all the way back in 2013.
Hawtai added a new front, a new rear, and a new name, and called it a new car. Sadly, they didn’t fir any bigger wheels. The old engine didn’t change either; a 1.5 turbo with 140hp and 210nm, mated to a five-speed manual.
The Hawtai WS55 will hit the market in June. Price will range from 62.000 to 72.000 yuan, which is a tad more than the current Lusheng E80 costs.
You can clearly see the car’s age inside. Steering wheel, center stack, and tiny screen look very outdated.
Is it still 2013 today…?
One good thing: it now has a slot for SD memory cards. So if you are one of the ten people still using those you are lucky! Buy the WS55 and you can view your data on the on-board screen, which by the way measures a whole 6 inches.
They did add red stitching on the seats. Sporty.
The WS55 badge is very large, and it has a red T for turbo. We strongly support the use of red fonts in badges on turbocharged cars.
Not a Ford; this is the new Hawtai.
We are glad the brand is still alive, but it seems time they come up with something new, otherwise they will be dead within years. They are trying now with some EV stuff but nobody is buying because it is all based on the same old cars again.
Did this car ever hit the market? I know Hawtai is now dead…