The Arcfox Alpha S5 (Chinese name Jihu Alpha S5) is BAIC's mid-size electrified sedan, 4,886 mm long with a 2,900 mm wheelbase and a sloping fastback roofline. The updated car went on sale in China on 18 March 2026 and, for the first time, comes both as a battery-electric car (BEV) and as an extended-range electric car (EREV) with a petrol engine that only charges the battery. Seven versions cover three EREV and four BEV trims, with manufacturer's suggested prices from CNY 104,800 (~$15,721) to CNY 173,800 (~$26,071) and a launch benefit that takes CNY 5,000 off six of them (Arcfox's own page shows only CNY 2,000 off the BEV 720; CnEVPost reports CNY 5,000 across the lineup), so the cheapest car is advertised at CNY 99,800 (~$14,971). The EREV is rated at up to 1,450 km combined, the single-motor BEV at up to 720 km CLTC, and the dual-motor all-wheel-drive BEV accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds with 390 kW (530 PS / 523 hp). On 23 October 2026 Arcfox opened pre-sale of a 2027 BEV-only Alpha S5 with standard lidar, a 148 L front trunk and rear-wheel drive, from CNY 121,800 (~$18,271); it is not on sale yet and has no launch date, so this article covers the lineup that can be ordered today and reports what is known about the update.
Performance & Specs
The EREV is the cheapest and, on paper, the longest-legged version. A 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine rated at 77 kW (105 PS / 103 hp) acts purely as a generator, and a single rear-mounted motor delivers 200 kW (272 PS / 268 hp) and 365 Nm to the rear wheels. Launch coverage quotes 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds with a charged battery (Sina gives 7.5 seconds with a depleted one), and Arcfox rates it at a CLTC electric range of 230 km from a 27.4 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery made by CATL, and a combined range of up to 1,450 km. Some data sites still print 175 km for the electric range of these cars; the 230 km figure is the one used in the launch coverage and is used here.
The three single-motor BEV versions are listed as front-drive by Autohome and CarNewsChina; Arcfox does not state the drive layout. The 64.8 kWh car has a 185 kW (252 PS / 248 hp) motor with 320 Nm, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds and is rated at 630 km CLTC. The 74.4 kWh car uses a 200 kW (272 PS / 268 hp) motor with 360 Nm, reaches 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and has the 720 km CLTC rating that headlines the range. The flagship is a dual-motor all-wheel-drive BEV with a combined 390 kW (530 PS / 523 hp) and 690 Nm, a 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.7 seconds and the same 74.4 kWh pack, which brings its CLTC range down to 650 km. Top speed is listed at 180 km/h on every version, and the figures sit in a neat order: the 3.7 second time belongs to the 650 km all-wheel-drive car, while the 720 km range belongs to the 6.8 second single-motor car.
| Powertrain | EREV: 1.5 L range extender + rear motor |
|---|---|
| Power | 200 kW (272 PS / 268 hp) motor; 77 kW (105 PS / 103 hp) engine |
| Torque | 365 Nm |
| 0–100 km/h | 6.5 s (charged battery) |
| Battery | 27.4 kWh LFP (CATL) |
| Range | 230 km electric / up to 1,450 km combined (CLTC) |
| POWERTRAIN TYPE | EREV (3 trims) and BEV (4 trims) |
|---|---|
| HORSEPOWER | EREV 268 hp; BEV 248 hp, 268 hp or 523 hp (AWD) |
| TORQUE | 320-365 Nm single motor; 690 Nm AWD |
| ACCELERATION | 0-100 km/h: 6.5 s (EREV, charged battery); 7.0 s (BEV 630); 6.8 s (BEV 720); 3.7 s (BEV AWD 650) |
| TOP SPEED | 180 km/h |
| DRIVETRAIN | EREV rear motor (RWD); single-motor BEV listed as front-drive (FWD); dual-motor BEV AWD |
| BATTERY | 27.4 kWh (EREV); 64.8 kWh and 74.4 kWh (BEV), LFP |
| ELECTRIC RANGE | 630 km, 720 km or 650 km CLTC (BEV); 230 km CLTC (EREV) |
| COMBINED RANGE | Up to 1,450 km CLTC (EREV) |
Dimensions & Practicality
| Length | 4,886 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,930 mm |
| Height | 1,480 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,900 mm |
| Boot | 430 L |
The body is 4,886 mm long, which is 66 mm more than the car before the update, 1,930 mm wide and 1,480 mm high, on a 2,900 mm wheelbase, and every version has the same dimensions. That puts it in the same size class as the BYD Seal 06 EV and a little longer than the Qin Max DM-i. Five seats are standard and the boot holds 430 litres, a modest figure for a car this long that reflects the low, sloping rear roofline. The EREV weighs 1,880 kg, the single-motor BEVs 1,885 kg and 1,995 kg, and the dual-motor car 2,120 kg, according to CarNewsChina's data sheet.
| LENGTH | 4,886 mm |
|---|---|
| WIDTH | 1,930 mm |
| HEIGHT | 1,480 mm |
| WHEELBASE | 2,900 mm |
| CARGO VOLUME | 430 L |
| SEATS | 5 |
| KERB WEIGHT | 1,880 kg (EREV); 1,885 kg (BEV 630); 1,995 kg (BEV 720); 2,120 kg (BEV AWD) |
Charging & Battery
The BEV range is built on an 800V architecture. The reported peak charging power is 404 kW on the 74.4 kWh cars, which are the 720 km single-motor version and the 650 km all-wheel-drive version; CarNewsChina lists 215 kW for the 64.8 kWh car. For the 30 to 80 percent stop, Arcfox's site quotes 8.9 minutes under its 720 km pure-electric version, and CarNewsChina's data sheet gives about 9 minutes for both 74.4 kWh cars and about 15 minutes for the 64.8 kWh car. No 30 to 80 percent time was verified for the EREV. Arcfox's own site also advertises the car as having 540 km of range added in 15 minutes, a marketing figure that it does not tie to a trim, so the table below keeps to the 30 to 80 percent numbers.
Dividing the battery by the range gives about 10.3 kWh per 100 km for both the 64.8 kWh 630 km car and the 74.4 kWh 720 km car and about 11.4 kWh per 100 km for the heavier all-wheel-drive car, which is a believable CLTC spread. The EREV's 27.4 kWh pack is small, but the 1.5-litre generator and a 230 km electric range mean it can be driven as an electric car on most days. Reports on the March launch also list a lifetime warranty on the battery, motor and controller for first owners and battery replacement if capacity decays beyond a set limit within eight years or 150,000 km; those terms come from launch coverage and should be checked with a dealer.
| BATTERY | 27.4 kWh (EREV); 64.8 kWh and 74.4 kWh (BEV), LFP, CATL |
|---|---|
| DC FAST CHARGING | 800V BEV line; up to 404 kW peak reported (74.4 kWh cars) |
| DC 30-80% TIME | About 9 min (74.4 kWh BEV); about 15 min (64.8 kWh BEV); not verified for the EREV |
Design & Interior
Arcfox calls the styling the Wind-Sculpted design, and the exterior combines frameless doors, hidden door handles, an active front air intake, slim headlights, a floating two-tone roof and a through-style tail light bar with the ARCFOX lettering across it. The update brought a redesigned front end with the extra lower lighting elements removed, new bumpers and seven body colours, three of them new: Phantom Green, Varna Blue and Lava Grey. The green car in Arcfox's own images wears green brake calipers and multi-spoke wheels and a retractable rear spoiler sits on the boot lid.
Inside, the dashboard is built around a large central touchscreen and the headliner has 256-colour ambient lighting. The front passenger gets a zero-gravity seat with an integrated leg rest and sport-style velvet upholstery, and the interior is offered in three colour schemes, including a new brown. The launch material also lists a 68-inch augmented-reality head-up display, a 19-speaker audio system, massage and ventilated seats and a heat-pump climate system, though which of these come on which trim was not published in the sources used here.
Technology & Features
Both the cockpit and the driver-assistance functions run on one Qualcomm Snapdragon 8775 chip. The driver-assistance suite is BAIC's Yuanjing system, which Arcfox's site lists with urban navigation assistance (the page advertises it from the CNY 110,000 class) and Zhuoyu binocular stereo-vision hardware. A blue light on the car shows when the system is active. The car uses a chassis tuned together with Magna and an adaptive damper setup, and the dual-motor car has a dedicated boost button.
Safety & ADAS
The 2026 car relies on cameras and radar and has no lidar. That changes on the 2027 version, which opened pre-sale on 23 October 2026 with a 192-line roof-mounted lidar as standard on all three versions (CnEVPost; Arcfox's configuration page also lists lidar as standard), and the same sensor appeared in a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology filing in the September 2026 batch with unchanged dimensions of 4,886 by 1,930 by 1,480 mm. The lidar supplier has not been named by Arcfox, and dealer-sourced reports that name one are unconfirmed. Crash-test results for the updated car were not found in the sources used.
| ADAS LEVEL | L2+ (Yuanjing navigation assistance; BAIC does not quote an SAE level for the Alpha S5) |
|---|---|
| ADAS FEATURES | Urban and highway navigation assistance, automated parking, radar and camera sensor suite (sensor count not published by Arcfox); no lidar on the 2026 car |
Available Versions
| VERSION | POWER | TORQUE | 0-100 | TOP SPEED | DRIVETRAIN | BATTERY | EV RANGE | COMBINED RANGE | PRICE | KEY DIFFERENCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EREV 1450 Entry | 268 hp | 365 Nm | 6.5s | 180 km/h | RWD | 27.4 kWh | 230 km | 1,450 km | CNY 104,800 (~$15,721) | CNY 104,800 (CNY 99,800 with launch benefit); cheapest version, rear motor plus 1.5 L range extender |
| EREV 1450 Mid | 268 hp | 365 Nm | 6.5s | 180 km/h | RWD | 27.4 kWh | 230 km | 1,450 km | CNY 111,800 (~$16,771) | CNY 111,800 (CNY 106,800 with benefit); same powertrain, higher equipment level |
| EREV 1450 Top | 268 hp | 365 Nm | 6.5s | 180 km/h | RWD | 27.4 kWh | 230 km | 1,450 km | CNY 124,800 (~$18,721) | CNY 124,800 (CNY 119,800 with benefit); highest EREV equipment level |
| BEV 630 Entry | 248 hp | 320 Nm | 7.0s | 180 km/h | FWD | 64.8 kWh | 630 km | — | CNY 116,800 (~$17,521) | CNY 116,800 (CNY 111,800 with benefit); 185 kW motor, 15 min 30-80% |
| BEV 630 Mid | 248 hp | 320 Nm | 7.0s | 180 km/h | FWD | 64.8 kWh | 630 km | — | CNY 128,800 (~$19,321) | CNY 128,800 (CNY 123,800 with benefit); same battery and motor, higher equipment level |
| BEV 720 | 268 hp | 360 Nm | 6.8s | 180 km/h | FWD | 74.4 kWh | 720 km | — | CNY 141,800 (~$21,271) | CNY 141,800 (CNY 139,800 on Arcfox's page; CNY 136,800 per CnEVPost and CarNewsChina); 200 kW motor, 74.4 kWh Shenxing battery, about 9 min 30-80% |
| BEV AWD 650 | 523 hp | 690 Nm | 3.7s | 180 km/h | AWD | 74.4 kWh | 650 km | — | CNY 173,800 (~$26,071) | CNY 173,800 (CNY 168,800 with benefit); 390 kW dual motor, 2,120 kg |
Pricing & Availability
The manufacturer's suggested prices are CNY 104,800, 111,800 and 124,800 (~$15,721, ~$16,771 and ~$18,721) for the three EREV versions and CNY 116,800, 128,800, 141,800 and 173,800 (~$17,521, ~$19,321, ~$21,271 and ~$26,071) for the four BEV versions, converted at the ECB rate of 1 USD = 6.6664 CNY (28 October 2026). Six of the seven versions carry a launch benefit of CNY 5,000 that Arcfox counts as a purchase-tax subsidy, which gives the advertised range of CNY 99,800 to 168,800 (~$14,971 to ~$25,321); on Arcfox's own price page the BEV 720 drops only CNY 2,000, to CNY 139,800 (~$20,971), while CnEVPost and CarNewsChina report CNY 5,000 off every version. Arcfox's website, read on 30 October 2026, advertises the car from CNY 99,800 as a limited-time offer, with benefits of up to CNY 31,688 (~$4,753) that run until 31 October 2026 inclusive and vary by trim and dealer. Dealer promotions in China have often been deeper than the official list, so the real transaction price can differ by region.
The updated Alpha S5 is sold in China, where Arcfox sells it through BAIC's dealer network and the Arcfox app. Egypt has an older-specification car listed at EGP 1,500,000 and 1,650,000 with a 65 kWh battery and about 560 km, according to local price sites in October 2025, and Arcfox has announced a Malaysian entry under GoAuto Group; its global site lists an S5 sedan among the models, but no Malaysian launch date or version has been given. No export version of the updated EREV and BEV lineup has been confirmed in Europe, North America or Israel as of October 2026. The 2027 model-year car is in pre-sale, not on sale. Arcfox's user-operations vice president Qiao Xinyu previewed it on 14 October 2026, and pre-sale opened on 23 October 2026 with three BEV versions: the 650 Plus LiDAR at CNY 121,800 (~$18,271), the 650 Max LiDAR at CNY 131,800 (~$19,771) and the 750 Max LiDAR Shenxing at CNY 144,800 (~$21,721), according to Arcfox's own site and CnEVPost. All three have rear-wheel drive, a 148 L front trunk and a standard lidar, with pre-sale benefits worth CNY 18,800 (~$2,820). These are pre-sale prices, no official launch date has been announced, and Arcfox has not said whether the 2026 EREV versions and the all-wheel-drive flagship continue next to it.
How It Compares
The Alpha S5 is the only car in this group sold as both a BEV and an EREV, and it also has a 3.7 second all-wheel-drive flagship under the same nameplate. The BYD Seal 06 EV, a 4,870 mm electric sedan, starts at CNY 109,900 and reaches up to 630 km CLTC with up to 322 hp, so the Arcfox BEV 720 at CNY 141,800 offers 90 km more range and a larger battery, while BYD's cheaper trims undercut the Arcfox's single-motor BEVs. The Geely Galaxy TT is a rear-drive 800V sedan with up to 725 km CLTC and up to 570 hp, which is within reach of the Alpha S5 AWD at 523 hp and 650 km and shows how crowded this price range has become. The BYD Qin Max DM-i, a 235 hp plug-in hybrid (PHEV), is the price match for the EREV at CNY 99,900, and it claims up to 2,370 km combined against the Arcfox's 1,450 km, but it is a front-drive hybrid. Rival figures are taken from our own articles on each car, in each car's own exchange rate.
- One mid-size sedan with two powertrains: an EREV from CNY 104,800 (~$15,721) with up to 1,450 km combined and a BEV with up to 720 km CLTC
- Dual-motor BEV with 523 hp and 690 Nm that goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 s for CNY 173,800 (~$26,071)
- 800V platform with a reported peak of up to 404 kW and 30-80% in about 9 minutes on the 74.4 kWh cars
- Only 430 L of boot and no front trunk on the 2026 car, and the single-motor BEVs are listed as front-drive while the 2027 update points to rear drive
- No lidar on the 2026 car, and the 2027 lidar BEV is only in pre-sale, with final prices and a launch date not yet announced
The Alpha S5 is a sharp offer for a Chinese buyer who wants a mid-size electrified sedan below CNY 130,000: the EREV and the 630 km BEV start at CNY 104,800 and 116,800, the 74.4 kWh BEV adds 720 km CLTC and 9-minute charging, and the 523 hp all-wheel-drive version is a genuine performance car for CNY 173,800 (~$26,071). The compromises are a modest 430 L boot, single-motor BEVs listed as front-drive and the absence of lidar, and the 2027 update's lidar, front trunk and rear-drive layout address part of that. Anyone who can wait should see the 2027 lineup and its prices before ordering a BEV; the EREV and the AWD flagship are good value at today's list prices, especially while Arcfox's CNY 5,000 launch benefit runs.
