Dearcc

Dearcc is a Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) brand under Zhejiang Dearcc Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. (subsequently renamed Enovate Motors Technology Group Co., Ltd.). Founded on 23 June 2015 and headquartered in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, the brand adopted the tagline "Electric · Trend Created by Me", positioning itself as an innovative, internet-driven EV carmaker integrating R&D, manufacturing, sales, and aftersales service.In its early days, Dearcc served as a vital piece in LeEco Auto's overarching automotive ecosystem, backed by Jia Yueting with a 35% equity stake.Following the liquidity crisis at LeEco in 2017, Zhang Hailiang, then CEO of LeEco Auto, led the management team to take over and secure controlling ownership. This allowed Dearcc to spin off independently and accelerate its operations, making it one of the earliest EV startups to deliver mass-produced vehicles.In recent years, following Enovate's production halt in 2022 and extensive court-ordered asset auctions, the Dearcc marque has effectively bowed out of the car manufacturing scene, with its trademarks mothballed—standing as a stark reminder of the fallout from LeEco's grand automotive ambitions.

Development History

The inception of Dearcc was intrinsically tied to LeEco’s automotive blueprint. In June 2015, LeEco Auto (Beijing) Co., Ltd. injected RM7,000,000 for a 35% stake, positioning Dearcc as one of LeEco's three major vehicle platforms alongside LeEco Auto and Faraday Future, with the strategic goal of capturing the car-sharing and mass-market urban commuter segments using compact EVs.Within LeEco's setup, Jia Yueting prioritised the high-end positioning of Faraday Future, leaving Dearcc largely sidelined as an entry-level skunkworks project. [9] When LeEco Auto's cash flow collapsed in 2017 and Jia offloaded his shares, Zhang Hailiang, then Global CEO of LeEco Auto, spearheaded a management buyout to take the helm as Chairman.Dearcc thus severed ties with LeEco, swiftly clinched an angel funding round, and transitioned its product roadmap from behind the scenes into active production.

On 16 November 2017, Dearcc officially launched its first production EV, the EV10, ahead of the Guangzhou Auto Show.Touted as the very first production model from China's new wave of EV startups to hit the market, Dearcc briefly stole the industry spotlight. Within its first month, nearly 100 units of the EV10 were registered and delivered, with a dealership footprint spanning over 30 cities across 10 major provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangdong. [14 † L6-L8] In that same month, Dearcc inked an agreement with the Shaoxing Binhai New Area Administrative Committee to construct a dedicated EV manufacturing plant with a total investment of RM5,500,000,000 across 1,000 mu, targeting an initial annual output of 180,000 units.

The year 2018 marked a pivotal shift for Dearcc as it sought to move upmarket from entry-level city runabouts to a premium, group-level brand. In the first half of the year, cumulative sales of the EV10 crossed the 2,000-unit milestone, making it one of the pioneer EV startups to achieve commercial-scale deliveries.In July 2018, Dearcc secured between RM2,000,000,000 and RM2,500,000,000 in Pre-A financing and unveiled its roadmap for a new premium marque, "Enovate" (known locally as "Tianji").By March 2019, Zhejiang Dearcc Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. was officially renamed Enovate Motors Technology Group Co., Ltd. The "Dearcc" name was gradually phased out from corporate branding, the original marque was shelved, and all subsequent product development shifted wholly to Enovate.

Subsequently, Enovate rolled out the ME7 mid-to-large SUV in 2020 and the ME5 range-extended compact SUV in 2021. However, mounting cash flow woes forced the Shaoxing plant to halt assembly completely in 2022 after barely operating for half a year, followed by an official announcement of partial operational suspension in April 2023.Between 2024 and 2025, Enovate (Dearcc) became heavily embroiled in debt execution orders, frozen equity, and court-mandated asset auctions. The Shaoxing branch's assets, carrying a book value of nearly RM1,000,000,000, were eventually auctioned off for just RM64,950,000—a recovery rate of under 10%.With Zhang Hailiang reportedly remaining abroad, Enovate essentially halted all business operations by late 2025, leaving all remaining Dearcc trademarks and intellectual property entirely dormant.

Brand Matrix / Product Line

Throughout its active lifespan, the brand released only one mass-produced model under the Dearcc nameplate—the Dearcc EV10, which later spawned extended-range variants like the EV10 Pro. Following the 2019 corporate restructuring, the "Dearcc" badge was retired, and all vehicle programmes were consolidated under the Enovate brand.

Dearcc EV10 was an A00-segment all-electric micro hatchback measuring 3,692 mm long, 1,650 mm wide, and 1,532 mm tall, with a 2,400 mm wheelbase in a 4-door, 4-seater layout.Styling-wise, it sported a dual-tone paint scheme and a floating roof to appeal to younger, style-conscious buyers. Inside, it featured a 9-inch standalone, detachable touchscreen infotainment unit with GPS navigation, Bluetooth, a reversing camera, and 4G Wi-Fi connectivity—an impressive tech suite for an entry-level EV at the time.

Propulsion came from a permanent magnet synchronous motor generating a maximum output of 41 kW (rated at 21 kW) and 150 Nm of torque. It offered a constant-speed range of up to 251 km and an NEDC-rated combined range of 155 km. [22 † L9-L10] On the charging front, DC fast charging juiced the battery up to 80% in 48 minutes, while a regular AC charge took roughly 6.5 hours. The EV10 was offered in three trim levels with official recommended retail prices ranging from RM133,800 to RM141,800, which dropped to between RM59,800 and RM67,800 on-the-road after national, local, and manufacturer subsidies. [22 † L8] At the 2018 Beijing Auto Show, Dearcc showcased the  EV10 Pro300 featuring an improved constant-speed range of 320 km. However, due to subsidy rollbacks and cutthroat competition in the micro EV space, it failed to gain significant sales traction. [11 †‡13-L14]

Dearcc had also laid out plans to launch one to two new models annually, showcasing three mobility concept vehicles—"Dearcc Tianji", "Dearcc Tianxiang", and "Dearcc Tianpin"—though none ever progressed past the drawing board to see production.

Market Performance

The Dearcc EV10 got off to a promising start upon its 2017 debut. Not only was it the first vehicle from an EV startup to reach customer hands, but it also chalked up over 2,000 deliveries between December 2017 and June 2018, with private retail buyers accounting for roughly 70% of sales—marking an early milestone in volume production for the sector.However, deep-seated product shortcomings quickly surfaced. Only 109 units were sold in the entirety of 2017; after briefly peaking at 1,126 units in November 2018, monthly registrations plunged to 304 units by December. [3 † L7-L8] [8 † L17] Against key rivals, the EV10's post-subsidy entry price was roughly RM10,000 dearer than the BAIC EC series, while its 150 km NEDC range offered no tangible edge, ultimately failing to disrupt the micro EV segment. [8 † L16-L17]

Post-2020, Enovate's follow-up models, the ME7 and ME5, fared even worse, registering just 1,778 units in 2021 and 5,321 units in 2022—far below the volume needed to break even in a rapidly consolidating market.Following the shutdown of the Shaoxing facility in late 2022, sales figures ceased entirely. By early 2026, the on-road population of Dearcc EV10 models had dwindled drastically amid a defunct service and spare parts network, with virtually zero activity in the used car market and new registrations officially hitting zero on mainstream automotive databases by early 2026. [3 † L10-L11]

Core Technologies

Staffed largely by veteran automotive engineers, Dearcc focused its technical R&D on complete vehicle engineering, proprietary three-electric (battery, motor, electric drive) systems, and connected infotainment.

In-house Three-Electric Engineering was a key highlight carried into the Enovate era. The team developed an integrated Vehicle Breakdown Unit / Powertrain Domain Controller (VBU) combining VCU (Vehicle Control Unit) and BMS (Battery Management System) capabilities, putting it ahead of many early startup peers in battery optimisation and electric drive coordination. This production-ready VBU architecture also paved the way for Dearcc to acquire Xihu Auto and secure essential vehicle manufacturing approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). [8 † L14-L15]

Ground-up Vehicle Development and Architecture stood as Dearcc's core engineering credential. Rather than taking the contract-manufactured rebadged route, the EV10 was developed completely from scratch with proprietary intellectual property. Its chassis setup, powertrain management, and durability were validated through 1.6 million kilometres of multi-scenario testing. Zhang Hailiang recruited seasoned engineers from Volkswagen and General Motors, ensuring consistent benchmarks in NVH insulation, ride stability, and electronic control calibration. [22 † L25-L27]

Smart Cockpit and Telematics offered another unique selling point. The EV10 featured a 9-inch detachable centre display that interfaced with a dedicated smartphone app for remote vehicle control and diagnostics, linking an external 4G module with the onboard telematics system. This "phone-meets-infotainment" approach was an early experiment by Zhang's team to blend traditional automotive safety standards with rapid consumer tech iteration, drawing positive media attention at the time.However, constrained by limited production scale and software update resources, this modular screen setup was dropped from future models.

Under the Enovate banner, Dearcc’s technical assets evolved into the intelligent digital IMA architecture. Capable of underpinning both SUVs and saloons, the platform supported Level 2.5 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), full-vehicle over-the-air (OTA) updates, and early-stage wireless EV charging capabilities.

Overseas Footprint

Throughout its operational tenure, Dearcc never established any formal overseas export programmes or international dealership networks. Its global touchpoints were limited strictly to tier-one component sourcing for the EV10's electric drive and charging hardware, with no R&D facilities, assembly plants, or aftersales infrastructure set up abroad.

During Enovate's decline, extensive supplier debts and cross-border legal disputes brought all overseas ambitions to a complete halt. There is no official record of any Dearcc-badged vehicles ever being exported to international markets.

Future Outlook

As of early 2026, the Dearcc marque remains fully defunct in the wake of Enovate Motors' collapse. While Enovate Motors Technology Group Co., Ltd. still retains an active status on corporate registries, the machinery, tooling, and manufacturing assets at the Shaoxing facility have all been liquidated through judicial auctions.The brand's planned compact EV lines are long gone, and proprietary tech assets such as its VBU domain controllers have been broken up and sold off. The company and its subsidiaries face nationwide court enforcement orders totalling over RM1,000,000,000, with its founders and core management having completely exited operations.

From an industry perspective, Dearcc’s trajectory is a classic case of an early front-runner burning out prematurely in the brutal shakeout of the EV startup era. It was among the first to bring a car to market and cross the 2,000-unit milestone, briefly demonstrating the viability of traditional automotive veterans executing ground-up EV development. However, commercial viability fell short as the budget EV segment rapidly turned into a red ocean, while its subsequent pivot to the premium segment lacked the brand equity, supply chain resilience, and cost discipline needed to survive. Ultimately, a drying venture capital landscape, reduced government subsidies, and broader macroeconomic headwinds dealt a fatal blow to the fragile second-tier carmaker. Dearcc’s exit underlines the broader transition in China’s NEV landscape—moving away from a crowded field of hopeful contenders to a market dominated by a handful of established giants. From Dearcc to Enovate, the brand never found its breakthrough, leaving behind only the story of an early pioneer that sprinted off the line, only to crash out of the race.