China’s EV price war just claimed another entry-level sedan, and this one wears a very familiar badge.
FAW-Volkswagen’s Jetta opened pre-sales for the M6 electric sedan in China, starting at an equivalent price of around $12,035, undercutting rivals like the Xpeng Mona M03.
How sleek and how cheap are we talking?
The M6 stretches 4,806 mm long, making it 68mm longer than the gas-powered Jetta sedan that is still available in China. With a coupe-like roofline, the sedan features a cabin that looks much more expensive than the price tag suggests.
Standard cabin features include a 15.6-inch center screen, an 8.88-inch instrument cluster, and three color scheme options: gray, white, and purple. Higher trims also get features like a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated powered front seats, intelligent cruise control, and automatic parking assist.
Three trims are on offer, all of which are unbelievably cheap. The entry-level 465 Pro starts around $12,035 with a 42.9kWh battery that delivers 289 miles of range (comparable to the Tesla Model 3 SR). Step up to the 555 Max for about $13,525, with a bigger 51.9kWh pack rated for 345 miles.
The top model of the Jetta M6 electric sedan, one with driver-assistance tech plus massaging foot seats, costs $14,865, something that is simply impossible in the US market.
So why can’t you actually buy one?
Sales officially begin in China this October, as part of a bigger pivot: four of Jetta’s five upcoming models will go fully electric by 2028. In my experience covering China’s EV market, cars priced this low rarely clear the safety hurdles required to sell in the West.
Jetta hasn’t been a standalone Volkswagen model since 2019; it’s a separate budget sub-brand jointly run by FAW and Volkswagen for the Chinese market.
However, outside China, its footprint is nearly nonexistent. The brand remains limited to Iran, Russia, and Uzbekistan. For now, there’s no information on the car’s availability in the US or Europe.
