Geneva show: Borgward set to go home

BORN-AGAIN German motor company Borgward has announced that it is scouting potential production sites for a German factory to build vehicles in tandem with its Chinese plant that recently started operation.

The announcement by Borgward Group CEO Ulrich Walker came as the Chinese-financed, Stuttgart-based company unveiled its second wave of new models, the BX5 and Project BX6 TS compact SUVs, in Geneva at the annual motor show.

Both of these vehicles have plug-in petrol-electric hybrid powertrains that, along with full electric powertrains, will be the focus of Borgward in Europe once it starts sales there in 2017.

The announcement of German production planning, which includes checking potential suppliers, comes just a year after Borgward revealed at the 2015 Geneva show that it was making a comeback after a 55-year hiatus.

It showed its first model, the seven-seat medium BX7 plug-in hybrid SUV, at the Frankfurt motor show in September, and now has followed up with a matching pair of one-size-smaller SUV prototypes in conventional five-door wagon (BX5) and “coupe” (BX6) body styles.

Mr Walker said Borgward was fully aware of its responsibilities as a German company and of its own tradition of success.

“We will therefore be making a decision regarding our production location in Germany before the year is out,” he said.

Mr Walker re-confirmed Borgward's sales goal of 500,000 units a year in the medium term, and said the company would launch an initial public offering of shares in Germany soon.

The Borgward brand name is owned by Christian Borgward, grandson of company founder Carl Borgward who built his first car – the delightfully named Blitzkarren (lightning cart) – in 1924.

The original Borgward company was forced into liquidation by creditors in 1961, but Christian Borgward and partner Karlheinz L. Knöss recreated Borgward AG in 2008.

With backing by Chinese truck-maker Foton – owned by state-controlled motor company Beijing Automobile Industry Corporation (BAIC) – Borgward is now set to start sales of the BX7 in China in the second quarter of this year before rolling vehicles out to other markets, including India and Europe, with the latter starting in Germany next year.

At 4483mm long and 1876mm wide, the mid-sized BX5 is about 57mm shorter and 36mm wider than the vehicle it appears to closely mimic, the Mazda CX-5. Apart from the naming clone, the styling appears to be inspired by the Japanese market leader.

However, the powertrain is all Borgward, boasting a 105kW/240Nm turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine driving the front wheels and a 85kW/195Nm electric motor powering the rears to deliver up to 55km of electric driving before the petrol engine kicks in.

The BX5 prototype, which Borgward says is near production ready, rides on 19-inch wheels with 235/55 tyres.

The related BX6 TS gets a BMW X6-style coupe backside and a generally more sporty treatment.

Lower than the BX5 and with a more aggressive grille and other body features, the BX6 TS is described as a show car, indicating it is further away from production than the mainstream BX5.

To befit its sportier nature, the BX6 TS gets a significantly more powerful drivetrain, with a 200kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine churning the front wheels and a 110kW electric motor creating a form of AWD by driving the rears.

No production timing or location was given for the BX5 or BX6 TS.

So far, there has been no sign of a full EV, but Mr Walker promises that when it comes, it will deliver a range of at least 250km on a full charge.