Rami Levy enters the car business with low-cost Chinese models

Rami Levy’s stock-format retail chain said it will begin selling new cars, expanding a supermarket-style trend that had already made headlines at Osher Ad after a one-day Kia “zero-kilometer” promotion. This time, the chain is moving into a longer-term partnership with car importer Dahleum Motors, offering nine little-known Chinese models now and, later, 12 different models in total.

The first cars are being sold at the Rami Levy Stock branch in Pardes Hanna, the chain’s only stock store so far. The lineup includes the BAIC EU5 electric sedan, priced at 99,999 shekels with supply planned for August and a stock of hundreds of units. The company says that is tens of percent below the list price of about 156,000 shekels. Also on offer are the BJ30 Hybrid, a family vehicle with all-wheel drive and off-road capability, and later the fully electric ArcFox T5 and S5, with 10 units of each initially. The activity will also include commercial vehicles, work vehicles and Foton pickup and utility models, including 100 units of the TUNLAND, ETOANO and CAVAN.

The report says the value proposition is less clear than the low price suggests. The BAIC EU5 is described as an older sedan first launched years ago in limited-market certification, with a 48-kWh battery, a 340-kilometer WLTP range and only two airbags. Other models being shown are not yet fully certified, and some appear to be marketed before receiving final approval. BAIC is a large Chinese company, but its entry into Europe has been slow, and some of its current European plans still involve gasoline crossover models that have not yet passed stringent European homologation.

Rami Levy Stock CEO Yoni Dimri said, “From day one we wanted to enter the car sector,” calling it a strategic growth arm rather than a passing fad. He said the cooperation with Dahleum began more than half a year ago. Dahleum marketing VP Avi Shad said the chain’s customer base would help the brand penetrate the market, and that the partnership avoids spending tens of millions of shekels on advertising. Dimri said the first sale began Friday morning and more than 200 deposits had already been taken, with deposits currently set at about 2,000 shekels. He added that a car purchase still requires a registration transfer and can be canceled before completion, so the deposits are not yet booked as sales.