Floating SUVs and emergency float modes

What a float mode is

A float mode is an escape feature. The car is sealed well enough to stay on the surface for a while, and a low-powered drive, either small thrusters or the spinning wheels themselves, lets the driver creep toward dry ground ^[2][5][12]. The makers present it as something for emergencies such as flash floods, not a way to go boating ^[2][7][16]. Their claimed figures are modest: from about 30 minutes to 2 hours afloat and water speeds of roughly 2 to 8.5 km/h (1.2 to 5.3 mph) ^{[2][5][8][15]}.

The US National Weather Service says it is never safe to drive or walk into floodwater. It warns that fast-moving water about 12 in (30 cm) deep is enough to sweep most cars away, and about 2 ft (61 cm) is enough for SUVs and trucks, and, citing the CDC, it says vehicles driven into dangerous floodwater account for more than half of flood-related drownings ^[1]. No independent test that measured the float time or water speed of any of the cars below was found; the demonstrations described below were maker publicity events or a car commentator's video ^[4][7][10].

Jetour Zongheng G700 (Chery)

Chery launched Zongheng as an upmarket off-road line of its Jetour brand in January 2025, when it showed the swimming feature on the flagship G900 concept and claimed up to 40 minutes in water at 8.5 km/h (5.3 mph) ^[3]. The production G700, a plug-in hybrid SUV weighing about 3 tonnes (6,600 lb), went on sale in China on 19 October 2025 at 329,900 to 414,900 yuan (about $46,300 to $58,200) ^[6].

Chery's claims for the G700, as reported by ifanr, are two rear turbine thrusters, each rated at 15 kW with an 18 kW peak, kept separate from the land drivetrain and fed by a 40.8 kWh battery; a top speed afloat of 4.5 knots (5.2 mph, 8.3 km/h); 40 minutes in the water; and body seals and drain holes that close up by themselves when the car enters water ^[5]. InsideEVs reports that the water capability is limited to the Ark Edition and that Chery describes it as purely for emergencies such as flash floods ^[7]. According to ifanr, buyers of the amphibious version must complete training and certification with Chery before delivery ^[5].

On 16 October 2025 Chery staged a crossing of the Yangtze River at Wuhu, its home city ^[4][5]. CarNewsChina reported a crossing of 1,480 m (0.9 mi) in 22 minutes, cruising at about 7 km/h (4.3 mph), against currents of 5 to 10 km/h (3 to 6 mph) ^[4]. InsideEVs also described a publicity crossing of the Minjiang River that took 10 minutes ^[7].

Geely Galaxy Cruiser 700

Geely showed a prototype called the Galaxy Cruiser at Auto Shanghai on 23 April 2025, claiming it could move on water at more than 8.5 km/h (4.6 knots), stay afloat for up to 2 hours and wade through 800 mm (31 in) of water, helped by a wading radar and onboard sonar ^[8]. The production model, called the Cruiser 700 or Battleship 700 in English-language reports and Zhanjian 700 in China, made its debut on 24 July 2026 as a three-motor plug-in hybrid with up to 830 kW (1,113 hp) ^[9]. It went on sale in China on 10 October 2026 at introductory prices of 179,800 to 369,800 yuan (about $26,800 to $55,200), and CarNewsChina described its emergency floating mode as moving at up to 7 km/h (4.3 mph) for up to 40 minutes ^[11].

Jalopnik, citing InsideEVs, described two small rear propellers of 8.5 kW (11.5 hp) each, shaped to look like exhaust tips, and two sonar sensors in the front bumper to detect underwater obstacles; it gave about 40 minutes of propelled travel and up to about 2 hours afloat ^[10]. It also described a video by the Chinese car commentator Wheelsboy showing the SUV entering a lake, floating with its grille submerged and leaving under its own power ^[10].

FOMM One

FOMM (First One Mile Mobility) is a small Japanese company formed in February 2013 and then headed by Hideo Tsurumaki, whose idea of a small car that could float out of a flooded area grew out of the 2011 tsunami in Japan ^[12][13][16]. Its 2014 Concept One weighed 460 kg (1,014 lb), was expected to reach 50 km/h (31 mph) and had a 5 kW motor in each front wheel; in water, those wheels were meant to work as impellers and to steer ^[12]. Tsurumaki said the floating ability was only for emergencies and that the car would need servicing afterward ^[12]. IEEE Spectrum questioned its usefulness in a disaster, citing a range of about 100 km (62 mi) and the need to be charged in advance ^[13].

The production FOMM One appeared at the Bangkok motor show in 2018 as a four-seater 2,585 mm (8 ft 6 in) long, weighing 630 kg (1,389 lb), with a claimed range of 160 km (99 mi) ^[14]. In December 2018 the Thai local news site Hua Hin Today reported FOMM's claim that the car begins to float in about 70 cm (28 in) of water even with four people aboard; in a passage about the earlier Concept One, the same article gave a top speed in water of about 2 km/h (1.2 mph) ^[15]. FOMM says mass production began in March 2019 ^[17]. When the car went on sale in Thailand in 2019, Fox News reported that FOMM does not class it as a true amphibious car ^[16].

In January 2022 Quantum Solutions gained the rights to build and sell the car in some regions, including China, through a joint venture with FOMM, and it began mass production in Thailand in July 2022 ^[18][19]. FOMM, which developed the car, still presents it on its website as an electric car that floats in an emergency ^[17].

Yangwang U8 (BYD)

BYD's Yangwang U8, launched in China on 20 September 2023, also has an emergency floating mode. BYD said it could stay afloat for 30 minutes and move at 3 km/h (1.9 mph) by spinning its wheels, and that the mode is meant only for emergencies such as floods ^[2]. Its claims and demonstrations are covered in the separate Yangwang U8 entry.

Photos

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