Borgward reveals BX6 and pure-electric BXi7

Borgward has unveiled two new SUVs that it hopes will spearhead a global sales surge.

The first is the BX6, a small SUV-coupe that has been designed to steal sales from the likes of BMW's X4.

Claimed to have been created to entice younger buyers to the brand, the BX6 is said to have sportier styling with a pair of slimmer front headlights and a less imposing version of the car-maker's front grille.

Under the bonnet, the BX6 comes with a 165kW turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder combined with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

Performance hasn't been disclosed, but the car-maker says the BX6 is capable of averaging 7.1L/100km.

As well as seeing how the Chino-German brand's exterior design is evolving, the car-maker has also provided a glimpse of its latest SUV's interior.

Featuring leather seat trim, wood trim and new 10-way power seats, the BX6 comes equipped with the firm's latest 8.0-inch infotainment system.

Set to be launched in fellow right-hand drive market South Africa later this year, the Borgward brand could also be launched in both the UK and Australia in the near future.

The other car it revealed is, initially, thought more relevant to the Chinese buyers.

Based on a concept originally revealed last year, the BXi7 is the firm's first pure-electric offering.

Called the BXi7, the battery-powered SUV features two electric motors that, combined, generate 178kW/390Nm.

That's enough for the pure-electric SUV to hit 100km/h in 7.9 seconds and top out at 195km/h, says Borgward.

It's not been revealed how energy-dense the lithium-ion battery that powers the BXi7 is, but Borgward says it can travel up to 375km on a single charge.

Charging, meanwhile, takes just 45 minutes for an 80 per cent charge using a rapid charger.

Featuring Borgward's all-new EV technology, the BXi7's new "intelligent thermal management system" is said to allow the battery pack to perform optimally even when the outside temp is -30C or 55 C.

The Chino-German car-maker has a well-publicised and ambitious sales target of 800,000 vehicles per year by 2020 and 1.6 million units by 2025.

International backing from huge Chinese vehicle maker Foton Motor Company is just one part of the Borgward puzzle. The other is an all-new manufacturing facility in its ancestral home of Bremen, in Germany.

Another key to eventual sales success is the poaching of MINI's former design boss, Anders Warming, who now heads up the car-maker's design department.

Borgward only announced its return after a hiatus of 54 years at the 2105 Geneva motor show.