Jetta M6: new electric sedan with Volkswagen DNA priced at 10,600 euros
The Jetta M6 is a new mid-size electric sedan for the Chinese EV market. It’s partly a Volkswagen vehicle, but not entirely so either. The entry-level model costs only 10,600 euros, which is quite cheap even by Chinese standards.
What is Jetta?
Jetta is a brand from the FAW-VW joint venture, established in 2019. The main shareholders are FAW, Volkswagen, and several local state investment funds from Chengdu city. This is where Jetta is headquartered, and the factory is also located there.
The name Jetta comes from the Volkswagen Jetta. The Jetta was one of the most popular cars in China, especially during the 2000s and 2010s, with very high brand recognition. That’s why VW chose this name for the Jetta line. The brand has its own logo and a separate dealership network.
Initially, Jetta was a true budget gasoline brand, somewhat like Dacia, using various platforms from the Volkswagen Group. Currently, Jetta offers five gasoline models, and sales are decent. In August, Jetta sold 6,903 cars, accounting for a 0.45% market share and ranking 43rd out of 101 brands.
Another Jetta
In 2024, the brand was split into two series, as Chinese automakers tend to do. The first series consists of the existing Jetta with its gasoline models. The new second series will focus solely on selling EVs. The brand name remains the same, but the logo is different. The Jetta M6 is the first model in this series, with the Jetta X SUV following later this year.
The Jetta M6 is a smoothly shaped sedan. It looks like a fastback, but the M6 has a regular trunk. The design isn’t particularly exciting, but there are also no major flaws in it.
It’s truly a typical Chinese sedan for this segment. It features bumpers with active valves, black headlights, a short and low hood, large windows with chrome trim below them, a slightly sloping roofline, a subtle spoiler on the trunk lid, and a bright red light bar with the JETTA name in the center.
The drag coefficient is 0.217 Cd.
Interior of the Jetta M6
The cabin follows the same principle exactly: just as you would expect. It’s tidy, well-lit, and free of outdated buttons. The two-spoke steering wheel features a large diameter, thin rim, and flattened top and bottom sections. The driver has an 8.88-inch instrument cluster in front of them, with a sizable 15.6-inch touchscreen at the center.
The Yuexing AI Smart Cockpit 2.0 operating system integrates various AI apps, including Doubao, Tongyi Qianwen, and DeepSeek. It also supports wireless Apple CarPlay, Huawei HiCar, and ICCOA Carlink.
Thanks to the long wheelbase, there’s ample space at the back as well, and the front seats can be folded all the way flat for sleeping, in keeping with common Chinese usage.
The trunk volume is 542 liters. There is no frunk.
Technical specifications of the Jetta M6
The Jetta M6 is based on the CMP platform, with 400 V and front-wheel drive. This platform was developed by VW in collaboration with its joint venture partners (Anhui, FAW, SAIC) and is used by all three. On top of that lies the JEST electronic architecture, which was developed by Jetta itself—a notable achievement for such a relatively small manufacturer. Thus, Jetta does not use the VW-Xpeng CEA architecture found in most new VW models today.
The dimensions of the Jetta M6 are 4806/1895/1500, 2820. The M6 is a front-wheel drive vehicle. There are two versions available:
Engine
0-100 km/h
Highest speed
Battery
Fuel consumption
Range
DC 30-80
AC 10-100
M6 Pro
113 kW/230 Nm
8.3
166
42.9 kWh
10.5 kW/100 km
465 km
25m
7 hours
M6 Max and Ultra
145 kW/260 Nm
6.8
172
51.9 kWh
10.7 kWh/100 km
555 km
25m
8 hours
The electric motor comes from the state-owned company Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric. It was originally a train manufacturer. But in recent years, the company has diversified into energy storage and electric motors for cars and trucks. There are indeed more train and subway manufacturers active in the automotive sector these days. Often, these companies have decades of experience with electric motors for train cars, and they apply that knowledge to the automotive industry. The LFP batteries come from CALB.
ADAS
The Jetta M6 is equipped with the Carizon Hyper Sense 8 (HS8) ADAS system. Carizon is a joint venture between Cariad China and the Chinese company Horizon Robotics. Once again, there is no Xpeng system here, as that is reserved for the more expensive Volkswagen models, particularly those from VW-Anhui.
The number of ADAS sensors varies depending on the trim level. The Jetta M6 Ultra top model features an L2 system with 11 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and 2 millimeter-wave radars. The computing power comes from a Horizon Robotics Journey 6M chip with 128 TOPS. This enables the Jetta M6 Ultra to drive autonomously on highways and in cities, as well as park automatically.
Prices of the Jetta M6 in China
Chinese Jetta fans can now pre-order the Jetta M6 at Jetta dealers and experience stores. There are three trim levels, three interior color combinations, and six exterior colors: Bamboo Frost Green, Elegant Ink Black, Moon Shadow Silver, Oriental Purple (as seen in the press photos), Porcelain White, and Sunshine Gold.
The Jetta M6 is extremely affordable. The Pro entry model costs only 80,800 yuan (10,600 euros), the Max at 90,800 yuan (12,000 euros), and the Ultra at 99,800 yuan (13,120 euros). This is a low price for such a large electric vehicle, even by Chinese standards. Direct competitors of the Jetta M6 include models like the ArcFox Alpha S3, BYD Seal 06 EV, and Wuling Starlight.