The Zotye Nomad is a modern styled Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) manufactured by the Chinese automobile company Zotye Auto. The automobile company Zotye is a subsidiary of the Zotye Holding Group and the company was formed in the year 2005. While the automobile company has been on the market for just about less than a decade, the company is already known for providing very reliable automobiles and products and so is the Nomad – reliable of trustworthy when on the road. The first automobile to be provided by Zotye Auto was the Zotye RX6400 which was then later on named the Zotye Nomad. This first model came on to the market as a small Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

The Zotye Nomad closely resembles the Daihatsu Terios in design and shape. The company Zotye auto continues to provide reliable and sought after products and in 2008 the company released the Zotye Multiplan, which product is a licensed copy of the Fiat Multiplan. Another vehicle by Zotye auto, provided on to the market is the facelifted Suzuki Alto, which is sold as the JN Auto by Zotye.

The Zotye Nomad comes in two model options; which are the Nomad 1.3 4x2 and the Nomad 1.5 4x2 models. The two models make use of two engine options which are mated to the respective models as follows: the 1.3 4x2 makes use of the 1.3 L engine which adopts the four cylinder inline, SOHC engine with 16 valves format, while the 1.5 4x2 model makes use of a 1.5 L engine which, like the other model makes use of four cylinder SOHC engine with 16 valves and takes on a 1.5 L engine. Both engines use multi-point fuel injection system. The 1.3 L engine is capable of generating a maximum power of 62.5 kW at 6000 rpm, while the 1.5 L engine is capable of 78 kW at 6000 rpm; while the maximum torque on the two engine variants is 107Nm at 3000rpm for the 1.3 L and 134 Nm for the 4500rpm. The SUV makes use of a 5-speed manual transmission format.

The 1.5 L engine is of course the much powerful engine of the two engines and it has better accelerating capabilities. The 1.5 L engine is capable of propelling the Nomad to a top speed of 145km/hr while the 1.3 L engine can handle a top speed of 140km/hr. When it comes to economic sense, the Nomad does very well in terms of fuel consumption. The vehicle consumes 6.8 L per 100km on the 1.3 L engine and 7.5 L on the 1.5 L engine.

The Nomad is very environmentally friendly when it comes to carbon emission; it has one of the lowest carbon emission when compared to vehicles in its product line. The SUV discharges a rate of 120g/km. It is also friendly and handy and provides easy handling and control functions. The Nomad 1.3 comes with power features for easy handling and control of the vehicle. The vehicle takes on power steering, electric mirrors and remote side mirrors. The interior provides classic comfort from the aircon and top of the range materials that make the seats inside the car. The dashboard design is very classic and refinement – from the top of the range materials used by Zotye. The vehicle provides comfort and luxury by the radio which comes standard on the vehicle, while the CD player comes as an optional feature. The front cabin provides power windows for easy handling. Zotye South Africa offers the vehicle with a 3 year service plan/ 75,000km. This SUV is a modern vehicle which is provided to balance off economic concerns of buyers and still provide the advantages of an SUV. This vehicle is here and much interestingly it is set for the future.