Remember Aletra, Indonesia’s first car brand? First shown at the Gaikindo Indonesia motor show last year, the marque was born from a partnership between PT Sinar Armada Globalindo (PT SAG) and Chinese carmaker Livan Automotive – which itself is from a merger between Geely-owned Shanghai Maple and Lifan Technology.
Now, Autonetmagz has reported that Aletra’s first model, the fully electric (EV) Aletra L8 MPV, has started production at PT Handal Indonesia Motor’s production facility located in West Java, Indonesia.
The Aletra L8 is essentially a badge-engineered Geely Jiaji L/Livan 8. But according to the Indonesian publication, Aletra is committed to meeting the Indonesian government’s push for increased local content, targeting over 40% domestic components in the next few years, making the MPV as Indonesian as it can get. However, it remains unclear if this target applies specifically to the Aletra L8 or future models.
Additionally, the right-hand drive (RHD) specific Aletra L8 will also be produced exclusively in Indonesia, with plans to export it to other RHD markets within the Asia Pacific region.
The Aletra L8’s dimensions come in at 4,812 mm long, 1,909 mm wide and 1,699 mm tall with a 2,807 mm wheelbase. This puts the L8 slightly bigger than the BYD M6, a rival occupying the same EV MPV segment, currently on sale in Malaysia.
Priced at IDR468 million (approx. RM122k) in Indonesia, the Aletra L8 is configured exclusively as a seven-seater in a 2+2+3 arrangement, with captain chairs in the second row, and is equipped with active comfort suspension, according to a brochure from Aletra.
The electric MPV is also equipped with a panoramic sunroof, a 12.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a driver’s seven-inch TFT LCD digital gauge cluster.
Powering the Aletra L8 is a front-mounted electric motor that produces 163 hp (120 kW) and 240 Nm of torque. This enables the Aletra L8 to sprint from 0-100 km/h in 10.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 160 km/h.
The Aletra L8 is available with two battery packs. The first is a lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) 50.4 kWh battery pack which provides a range of 431 km, according to the more lenient CLTC test cycle. The second battery pack is a larger 64.74 kWh Aegis Short Blade battery pack sourced from Geely that increases the range to 540 km (CLTC).
As for charging, Aletra didn’t spill the beans on specific AC or DC charging specifications, but state that the larger 64.74 kWh battery pack boasts a 2.45C charging rate, enabling it to recharge from 10% to 80% in just 17 minutes.
For safety systems, the Aletra L8 is equipped with four airbags and is not equipped with any advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) features aside from a tyre pressure monitoring system and 360-degree surround view and blind spot mirror view camera.
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