VM driving report: Sono Motors Sion: All grown up!

Meanwhile, Sono Motors is on the home stretch - and needs another financial boost to get there. That's why all the managing directors invited everyone once again: Laurin Hahn, Jona Christians, Thomas Hausch, Torsten Kiedel, and Markus Volmer answered questions from the press, showed part of the now 35 validation vehicles, and openly explained where changes will still be made on the aluminum space frame structure. In the meantime, they have managed to reduce the curb weight to 1,730 kg - saving more than 100 kg - the target was 1,750 kg minus x.

Acoustic quality feature: Rich sound of the doors

Even in the workshop, we notice the surprisingly rich sound of the wide-opening doors - always an initial quality feature in new vehicles, which the Sion fulfills. Afterwards, we are allowed to do the first rounds on partially poor roads at a closed-off airfield site, and the positive surprise remains: We sit in a comfortable series seat, the ergonomics are right, and despite the simple interior design, one feels comfortable. Warm textures on the door panels and the green filter moss, which will now purify the air behind clear plexiglass in the production model, help with this. The rear retains the large boxy trunk, which also aids visibility. The tailgate also closes with a rich sound.

We turn the shift lever to "D" to start driving. Pleasant: The Vitesco machine, which has been boosted to 120 kW, runs extremely quietly and provides powerful pull. And it is said to be significantly more efficient than the original model. The quiet environment supports the clean workmanship for a pre-series model: Even on nasty joints, the Sion remains quiet and crackle-free. The chassis and steering were "calibrated approximately" for these drives but showed remarkable maturity. The Sion achieves a successful synthesis of comfort and firmness, and the steering scores with precise tuning. And despite the front motor, one can turn sharply to create turning circles smaller than eleven meters - which makes the Sion maneuverable!

Up to 5,800 kilometers of range from the sun - in Munich

From the total of eight panels, you could generate an average of up to 5,800 kilometers of range from solar power per year in Munich, and over 9,000 kilometers in California. According to CTO and Chief Engineer Markus Volmer, this is also because the efficiency of the solar panels has increased by nearly thirty percent since the start of development, while the prices have dropped by almost eighty percent. And in terms of efficiency, there is still more potential...

Charging is possible with up to 75 kW CCS, up to 11 kW AC, or up to 3.7 kW at a household socket. However, one would need 12 hours of patience to charge up to 80 percent at a household socket. With CCS, this is accomplished in 35 minutes, and according to Sono Motors, it would take another 24 minutes to reach 100 percent.

It would be a shame if the series production of the Sion were to fail now, just before the finish line. Because even if it has taken a long time: The Sion has managed to become an affordable and cleanly engineered addition to the compact segment. And it therefore deserves to finally go into (pre-)series production in 2023!

What does this mean?

The Sion stays true to itself: visually, it aims to be more of a practical object than a glamour car - but it drives surprisingly joyfully and competently. Now, once again, the community is called upon to help the Sion financially over the final hurdle.