The last time we wrote about Trumpchi was two years ago, when the brand, part of China’s state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Group Company (GAC), unveiled its GS4 compact crossover SUV at the Detroit auto show. That vehicle, equipped with a fish tank in its rear center console, was supposed to be a precursor to an SUV the brand would sell in the United States as a 2017 model. Now, two years later, GAC is back in the Motor City, using the auto show to debut another concept and two new production vehicles, the Trumpchi GE3 and the Trumpchi GS7.
Not to be confused with the other GE (General Electric), the GE3 is a compact electric hatchback with handsome, if forgettable, styling. At 170.7 inches long, GAC?s Trumpchi GE3 is more than half a foot longer than the Chevrolet Bolt and 4.3 inches smaller than the Nissan Leaf. Likewise, the GE3?s 161-hp powertrain and claimed 192-plus miles of range split the difference between the Bolt (200 horsepower, 238 miles) and the Leaf (107 horsepower, 107 miles). GAC supplied no information about the GE3’s battery pack, although the company claims that an 80 percent charge is possible in less than 30 minutes when using a DC fast-charging system.
The Trumpchi GS7, though, is the GAC vehicle that would be most likely to appeal to the American palate. About three inches longer than the new Chevrolet Equinox and sitting on a nearly identical wheelbase, the GS7 uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 198 horsepower a...