The Forthing Xinghai S7 is a stylish Chinese NEV sedan. I spotted it earlier this summer, parked right in front of a Buick dealership in south Beijing. Interestingly, the Xinghai S7 competes directly with the upcoming Buick Electra L7, so maybe the Buick team wanted to have a closer look at one of their future rivals.
What is Forthing?
Forthing is a Chinese car brand. Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM) is the brand’s owner. Forthing sells a line of cheap ICEs and middle-class EVs. The brand’s logo is a silver lion on a black background.
Forthing’s Chinese name is 风行, Fēngxíng. The badge says: 东风风行, Dōngfēng Fēngxíng.
Xinghai is a line under Forthing. Xinghai sells two cars: the Xinghai S7 sedan and the Xinghai V9 MPV. The badge: 星海 S7 (Xīnghǎi S7). Xinghai means “Sea of Stars”. Dongfeng [company] > Forthing [brand] > Xinghai [series] > S7 [type name].
The Forthing Xinghai S7
The Forthing Xinghai S7 is a large fastback sedan. Forthing launched it in September 2024. Initially, Forthing only offered it as an EV. Earlier this year, the brand added an EREV variant to the lineup. The car in the photos is the base EV version, painted in Wave Green with an Oriental White interior.
The interior of the Forthing Xinghai S7
The Xinghai S7 has a typical Chinese NEV interior: clean and light, without any unnecessary frills. The focus is on comfort, with wide, luxurious leather seats. The equally wide center tunnel packs two 50W wireless chargers, two heated and cooled cup holders, and a large storage space underneath.
The two-spoke steering wheel has a large diameter and a thin rim. Large steering wheels are a new trend in China. The shifter is mounted on the steering wheel column. There’s an 8.8-inch driver’s display and a 15.6-inch touch screen. There are no buttons are switches at all. The operating system is Xinghai OS.
The Forthing Xinghai S7 is a long-wheelbase car, so passengers in the rear have loads of leg room. The rear doors, however, seem oddly narrow. Standard equipment includes a modest 6-speaker audio system and a panoramic sunroof.
The S7 has aero blade wheel covers and 235/50 R18 tires.
The rear is super streamlined. The rear window almost extends to the rear end. It is a very extreme solution, but it works. The drag coefficient is only 0.191 Cd, and that makes this Forthing one of the most slippery Chinese sedans. The dimensions are: 4935/1915/1495, 2915.
Specifications
Forthing offers various EREV and EV variants. The car in the photos is the Xinghai S7 555 Star Creation. That is the base-spec & top-trim EV version. It has a single-motor rear-wheel drive setup. The output is 160 kW (218 hp) and 310 Nm. It has a 165 km/h top speed and 0-100 takes exactly 6.67 seconds, according to Forthing.
The 56.9 kWh LFP battery comes from SEVB, a battery-making joint venture between DFM and Sunwoda. This company produces batteries for the various Dongfeng brands and joint ventures. The energy consumption is 11.9 kWh/100 kilometers, and the range is 555 kilometers CLTC. Fast-charging takes a calm 26 minutes.
The Price
Big electric sedans can be very cheap in China. The Forthing proves that point. The Forthing Xinghai S7 555 Star Creation costs 152.900 yuan or $21.5K. Sales have been relatively slow. Forthing sells about 1600 units er month. That’s not the car’s fault. Reviews have been very positive, but due to a lack of brand recognition and a lack of Forthing dealers, especially in big cities. That’s too bad, a car like the Xinghai S7 deserves better.