Roewe Whale

Model Overview

The Roewe Whale is a compact coupe SUV under SAIC Motor's Roewe marque, serving as the debut model for Roewe's all-new ME series. The model made its maiden appearance at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2021, officially commenced pre-sales on 17 March 2022, and went on sale on 20 May 2022. The Roewe Whale was introduced in three trim variants—Beluga Edition, Orca Edition, and Blue Whale Edition—with official retail prices ranging from RM166,800 to RM192,800. Targeted at the RM150,000 to RM200,000 price bracket, the SUV focuses heavily on youthful appeal and individuality, taking on segment rivals such as the Changan UNI-T and Lynk & Co 05. Notably, despite its oceanic namesake, the Roewe Whale is not an electrified vehicle (NEV), but an authentic pure petrol-powered model.

Design Language

Adopting the brand's all-new 'Rhythm Awakening' design philosophy, the Roewe Whale is Roewe's first mass-production model built around a biomimetic design theme. Up front, it features a borderless grille with vertical gill-like slits inspired by marine life, flanked by 'Deep Sea Eyes' split LED headlights—comprising sleek upper LED daytime running light (DRL) strips connected by a matte silver trim piece to form a distinctive 'X' graphic with high road presence. Along the flanks, a fastback coupe-SUV silhouette is complemented by flush pop-out door handles and a two-tone paint scheme. At the rear, the SUV sports a two-piece hollow roof spoiler, a full-width LED taillight bar, and dual exposed exhaust tailpipes, creating an aggressive sporty stance. Dimension-wise, the vehicle measures 4,702 mm long, 1,903 mm wide, and 1,691 mm tall, with a 2,765 mm wheelbase. Inside, the cabin adopts a two-tone blue-and-white theme to evoke an immersive marine-inspired ambience. The flat-bottom perforated leather steering wheel features a dedicated Chinese character '鲸' (Whale) emblem on the centre boss. The gear selector is styled after a whale's tail fin, with bionic motifs subtly integrated throughout the cabin. Generous soft-touch upholstery and metallic trim inserts further elevate the interior's premium feel.

Powertrain & Performance

Powering the entire Roewe Whale lineup is SAIC's new-generation NetBlue 2.0-litre direct-injected turbocharged petrol engine (code 20L4E), churning out a maximum power of 170 kW (approx. 231 PS) and 370 Nm of peak torque. Peak torque is generated across the 2,000–4,000 rpm band. Transmission duties are handled by an Aisin 8-speed automatic gearbox (8AT). Drive is sent exclusively to the front wheels (FWD), with no all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant offered across the range. Top speed is rated at 210 km/h. Under the WLTC test cycle, combined fuel consumption is rated at 8.8 L/100 km. It runs on RON 92 petrol and is fitted with a 55-litre fuel tank. The vehicle comes backed by a 3-year or 100,000-km manufacturer warranty. At launch, this 2.0T + 8AT powertrain setup was above the segment benchmark, delivering brisk throttle response with ample mid-to-high-end punch.

Chassis & Handling

Under the skin, the Roewe Whale rides on a front MacPherson strut and rear multi-link independent suspension setup. Steering is managed by an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system. Braking power comes from front ventilated discs and rear solid discs, shod with 235/50 R19 tyres. Kerb weight is rated at 1,729 kg. The chassis is tuned primarily for ride comfort, striking a fine balance between daily driving pliancy and highway stability. Boot space measures 325 litres in standard guise, expandable to 1,288 litres with the second-row seats folded flat.

Cabin & Equipment

On the tech front, the Roewe Whale is equipped with dual 12.3-inch IMAX HD panoramic screens (digital instrument cluster + infotainment touchscreen). The infotainment system is driven by an automotive-grade Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chipset running the Luoshen Smart Cockpit OS. Built upon the Banma Zhixing Tianpu AI platform, the system integrates core technologies from DAMO Academy, Tmall Genie, and Banma Zhixing to deliver AI interaction, AI perception, and scenario-based smart services. The infotainment supports wake-up-word-free continuous voice commands, smartphone remote vehicle control, smart home-to-vehicle connectivity, and over-the-air (OTA) software updates. A wireless smartphone charging pad is provided up front. For seating, the Whale gets integrated sports seats upholstered in Nappa leather, featuring 6-way power adjustment for the driver and 4-way power adjustment for the front passenger. Higher-spec variants (Orca Edition and Blue Whale Edition) add a 9-speaker BOSE premium audio system and a 256-colour ambient lighting system.

Safety & Driver Assistance

In terms of structural safety, the Roewe Whale features an ultra-high-strength cage body with high-strength steel accounting for over 80% of the build. Passive safety equipment includes standard front dual airbags, front side airbags, and front/rear curtain airbags (curtain airbags are standard on the Blue Whale Edition). Active safety is well-covered with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) fitted as standard across the range.

Advanced driver assistance is one of the Roewe Whale's headline highlights. The SUV comes equipped with the Sinan Smart Driving System, featuring a comprehensive suite of 29 sensors comprising 3 Bosch 5th-generation millimetre-wave radars, 5 surround-view cameras, 4 360-degree panoramic cameras, 1 forward ADAS camera (powered by a Mobileye EyeQ4 chip), 1 driver monitoring (DMS) camera, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. Processing power is delivered by dual Texas Instruments TDA4 driver assistance chips with a compute capability of 16 TOPS. The vehicle comes standard with Level 2 (L2) semi-autonomous driving assistance, including Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Traffic Jam Assist (TJA), and Integrated Cruise Assist (ICA). The steering wheel incorporates a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) for fatigue detection. For parking, it supports Remote Parking Assist (RPA) and vision-fusion automated parking. Mid-to-high-spec variants gain Auto Lane Change (ALC) and Intelligent Large-vehicle Coordinated avoidance (ILC). Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) can be unlocked via subsequent OTA updates, enabling point-to-point automated navigation on HD-mapped routes, autonomous highway ramp entry/exit, and automatic speed adjustments.

Market Performance & Reception

Following its market launch, the Roewe Whale struggled to gain traction. From January to April 2022, cumulative sales reached 3,347 units; by June 2023, monthly sales tumbled to just 8 units; and across the whole of 2024, only 276 units were registered. The model subsequently faded from the market and is now effectively discontinued. Industry observers attribute the Whale's sluggish market performance to its steep pricing (starting at RM166,800, which sits in a premium bracket among domestic Chinese brands), limited brand pull, fierce segment rivalry, and an overly niche product positioning. On the consumer front, feedback on its radical biomimetic styling was highly polarising; while its punchy powertrain and high-spec ADAS hardware were genuine highlights, they failed to convert into meaningful showroom sales. Overall, leveraging key selling points such as its 'Rhythm Awakening' biomimetic design, standard 2.0T + Aisin 8AT powertrain, Snapdragon 8155-powered smart cabin, and the Sinan Smart Driving System (29 sensors + L2 ADAS), the Roewe Whale established a distinctive presence in the RM160,000 to RM200,000 compact coupe SUV segment; however, hampered by its pricing strategy, brand equity, and market headwinds, its commercial run fell well short of expectations.