"We have already launched the car and our plan is mass production can start next year," Chery's spokesman Jin Yibo told Automotive News China.

The EV, known as S18, is based on Chery's S small car platform. It is fitted with a 336V 40kW electric driving system powered by a battery pack comprising 40Ah lithium iron phosphate batteries, according to information the company releases on its Web site.

A full charge can power the car for 120 Km-150 Km at a top speed of 120 km per hour. It takes four to six hours to fully charge the battery pack using a 220V civil power supply. An 80 percent charge takes only thirty minutes under a quick charging mode, the company says in the release.

The S18 was first unveiled at the Shanghai motor show in April this year.

Jin says Chery has already started mass production of a plug-in hybrid based on its Tiggo SUV and a mild hybrid built on its A5 compact car.

A mild hybrid provides a stop-start system as well as brake-energy regeneration and acceleration assistance.

But the company has yet to release the prices of these new energy vehicles.