One Automotive company, the Belgian importer of BAIC, DFSK, JAC, Seres and SWM, is pulling no punches to announce its arrival Chinese brand Forthing : “Sorry, Peugeot, Belgium has a second lion” headlines of the press release. And indeed, seeing the newcomer’s logo, the French brand did not hesitate to react. It is a stylized white lion on a French shield with a dark background. as used by the manufacturer after its redesign in 2021. It’s the one attached to the last 308 and 408 in particular, but now also to the facelifted 208 and new 3008.

The difference? The Chinese lion is presented in its entirety, while Peugeot only uses its face. So we’ll have to see what the manufacturer’s reaction is when we find out Stellantis fiercely defends its acronyms, which caused Polestar to be banned from the French market for a long time, its star is considered too close to Citroën’s chevrons.

Two SUVs and a minivan

On the part of the model, Forthing immediately offers a full range consisting of EVO, EVO BEV and U-Tour. First a compact SUV comparable to the Peugeot 3008 (more precisely) and the Volkswagen Tiguan among others, the most active segment at the moment (C). The upper dress, although not too original, is modern, and it seems that the model has certain advantages.

To start with nicely decorated interiorwhere the round vents and two 10.25″ screens assembled under a common insert resemble Mercedes salons. The 370-liter trunk, however, seems weak for this category. From the side of the engine we find 1.5l 177 hp from Mitsubishi mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission that can also be converted to LPG for larger drivers. Common engine with U-Tour, a minibus with a length of 4.85 m, can carry 7 passengers on three rows of seats, showing an attractive interior, full leather trim and carbon fiber inserts.

Is it possible to come to France?

The last major benefit for families looking for accommodation on a budget: price. The Forthing Evo is available from €31,490 and the U-Tour from €32,990! Finally, Forthing also offers EVO BEV. It features a unique front end and has a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor. It promises an 85.9 kWh battery more than 500 km of autonomy. Again at a hard price: 39,995 euros. Will this new Chinese player pushing Peugeot sell in France? Nothing has been officially announced yet, but given the setbacks Polar Star/Citroën, of course he will have to change his logo if he wants to have a chance to drive in our latitudes…

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