A new electric SUV called the Dongfeng sub brand Forthing Friday SUV is set to go on sale in Nepal within the next month. The official dealer for Forthing Friday in Nepal, Laxmi E-Mobility, has announced the starting prices for this compact SUV.
There will be two versions available:
- The luxury version is priced at around 57 lakhs Nepali rupees (NPR 56,96,000).
- The executive version is priced at around 63 lakhs Nepali rupees (NPR 62,96,000).
The Forthing Friday model has already arrived in Nepal at the Rasuwagadhi border. It’s a mid-sized SUV that is 4600 mm long, 1860 mm wide, and 1680 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2715 mm.
This SUV can reach a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour and uses a ternary lithium battery. It has a 99 kW motor with 340 Nm of torque.
Some of the cool features of the car include a panoramic sunroof and sporty 19-inch tires. Inside, it has a smart “Intelligent 4.0 Future Link” system with two 10.25-inch screens. It also has a 360-degree camera, leather seats, a crystal gear selector, electric seat memory, an electric tailgate, and front seats that can be heated, cooled, and even give a massage.
For safety, the EV comes with six airbags, ABS brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), hill-start assist (HBA), traction control (ASR), electronic stability program (ESP), hill descent control, automatic parking, front parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, front collision warning, blind spot detection, and automatic emergency braking.
The Forthing SUV has a 64.4 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery pack. You can fully charge it in about 5.5 hours using an 11 kW AC charger. With a faster 120 kW DC charger, you can charge it from 30% to 80% in just 35 minutes. The company claims that both versions of the Forthing will have a driving range of 400 kilometers on a full charge.
This new electric SUV, imported by Laxmi E-Mobility, will compete with other EVs in Nepal like the Tata Curvv EV, Nexon K3 EV, MG S5 EV, BYD Atto 3, and the upcoming Hyundai Creta EV. If the Forthing Friday’s price remains in the 57 to 63 lakhs range, it might face a tough challenge in the Nepali market. This is especially true given the competitive starting price of around 44 lakhs for the recently launched MG S5 EV.
The competition in Nepal’s electric SUV market is getting more intense, so keep an eye out for the official launch and final pricing details of the Dongfeng Forthing in the coming weeks to see how it fares!
