Click for Comparison rate warning and T&Cs. A convertible variant of the Hongguang Mini EV - known as the Cabrio concept - was unveiled overnight at the Shanghai motor show. when sales dipped for the first time since the 1990s, China Sends a Warning to the U.S. About Domestic EV Battery Production, Global EV Adoption Hits New High of 20 Million Thanks to Tiny Electric Cars, Electric Cars Sold In Record Numbers Globally In 2021, A Serious Threat to Tesla Emerges in Nissan. As a result, Ford Australia's first electric car is going to be a van, the e-Transit. Now, a new entry into Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirms that the Mini EV Cabrio is coming to market, per Car News China. On top of that, there's a cargo version, which would be brilliant for the suburbs. Onboard is a 9.3 kWh or 13.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack good for 75 or 169 km, respectively. No spare tire is given as well. The overall looks of the car seem to be very simple and boxy. It is 2,917 millimeters long, 1,493 millimeters wide and 1,621 [] The Nissan E-NV200 might not be much of a looker, but on paper it's a brilliant city van like the Peugeot Partner or VW Caddy. But with a parcel shelf right next to the driver, they can just pick what they need, swing open the door and step straight out onto the pavement. s.async = true; A dual waistline along with obvious arches for the 12 inches wheels accent very boxy looks. Look out Tesla, SAIC's $4,500 electric car takes China by storm Or the same as a specced-up V8 Ram. Wuling is coy regarding acceleration figures, but since the vehicle is electric and has instantaneous torque, it isnt unduly slow in town traffic. It is legal to drive on public roads, despite its wheels being just 12 inches in diameter and having a peak speed of only 62 miles per hour. This is enough to accommodate two 26-inch suitcases or a stroller. It also comes with the anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and reversing radar. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is China's best-selling electric vehicle. People in China arent buying the Mini EV for its design; theyre buying it at a reported rate of 1,800 models per day because its cheap and its range is good enough. I imagine it wont be that different from the roofed models. A few videos of the convertible circulated around since then, but not much else besides the statement from Wuling. Everything You Need to Work From Home Like a Pro. s.src = 'https://au-script.dotmetrics.net/door.js?d=' + document.location.host + '&t=other'; h.appendChild(s); The Smart is, however, a considerable 170mm wider. The convertible electric microcar which was built as part of a collaboration between SAIC and General Motors could come onto the market as soon as 2022. These are very limited, with three dials for climate control and a very small LCD screen for the radio. Uncover exclusive deals and discounts with a VIP referral to Australia's best dealers, Tesla details Model Y suspension changes, more updates coming, Mazda's largest SUV here in August with hybrid-beating efficiency. Change These Settings on Your New Samsung Phone. This one is a proper long shot, but we stand by it, no matter what you say even if it is entirely reasonable. Upgrade your WFH setup and work in style with these comfy WIRED-tested seats. Look out Tesla, SAIC's $4,500 electric car takes China by storm. Now the Hong Guang Mini. 38 Photos Wuling - Hong Guang MINI EV specs: Two battery/range options 120 km (75 miles) of range using 9.3 kWh battery 170 km (106 miles) of range using 13.9 kWh battery top speed of 100. The ForTwo is about 19,000 in the UK which could translate to a low to mid-$30k price tag. To further aid in the adoption of EVs, the Chinese government has announced measures to boost sales, from Automotive News: The government will encourage steady increases on spending on cars and abolish excessive restrictions on the sale of used vehicles, Premier Li Keqiang told the National Peoples Congress in Beijing on Friday. A joint venture between GM and Chinese businesses Wuling and SAIC saw the introduction of the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV in July 2020. s.src = 'https://au-script.dotmetrics.net/door.js?d=' + document.location.host + '&t=other'; h.appendChild(s); it has halogen headlamps and halogen bulbs in indicators and rear lights. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the Mini EV can seat four. [5] Overview [ edit] Rear view In September, only its 4 th month on the market, the Hong Guang Mini EV racked up sales in excess of 20,000, propelling it to the top of China's electric vehicle market," Kang said. It would also ward off one of the Ami's drawbacks it's left-hand drive only. Yes, I wish to receive exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions from our partners. And, like any good motoring journalist, we will insist that not only must the VW Up! Speaking of value, prices for the Mini EV originally started at RMB28,800 ($4,389), while the 13.8-kWh luxury Macaron version we tested retailed for RMB43,600 ($6,645) until recently. It's a small vehicle, without fancy safety systems, but the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture envisioned a front crumple zone. j.async = true; s = d.createElement('script'); Although not as uncomfortable as first expected, the offset pedal position gets tiring after an hour. }. . The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is the result of a three-way joint venture. Wuling had always produced microvans aimed at rural farmers and commercial buyers, so producing the Mini EV was a surprising move. You can whine all you like about the size, but large American trucks are selling here even after expensive right-hand drive conversions. At the end of last year, professor Masayoshi Yamamoto at Nagoya University took apart a car shipped to Japan to see how it was possible to produce the vehicle so cheaply. Adding to the safety, more than 57% of the Hong Guang MINI EVs body consists of high-strength steel. There is no crash test data for the charming car, but GM says that 57 per cent of the cars body consists of high-strength steel. The Hong Guang Mini EV saw sales of 112,000 for the second half of 2020, ranking second behind Tesla's Model 3 which are made in its Shanghai factory. Now you can get the top stories from Gizmodo delivered to your inbox. Get weekly updates with the latest car news and reviews. [19], The Mini EV GameBoy Edition was introduced in March 2022. window.dm.AjaxEvent = function(et, d, ssid, ad){ Powering the rear wheels is an electric motor delivering 27 hp of power and 85 Nm of torque. Baojun, on the other hand, is a Wuling sub-brand aimed at the car market and was earlier to micro EVs than its parent company, with both the Smart-like E100 and E200. Fees, charges, conditions and eligibility criteria apply. This is paired to either a 9.2kWh, 13.9kWh, or 25.5kWh battery. The Macaron version gains a reversing camera, which the screen also shows. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is China's best-selling electric vehicle, outselling Tesla and all others. Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV : The Most Selling EV Priced At $4500 Only Powering the rear wheels is an electric motor delivering 20 kW (27 hp) and 85 Nm of torque. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a battery electric vehicle (BEV). So equipped, Wuling says its Mini EV will travel 75 miles on a single charge and reach a top speed of 62 mph. This Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV car is 2917 mm long, 1493 m wide, and 1621 mm in height with a wheelbase of 1940 mm. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This is a demo store for testing purposes no orders shall be fulfilled. According toAutohome, the micro electric two-door is slated to hit showrooms in 2022 and (at least initially) will be sold exclusively in China. The Mini EV has appealed to younger buyers in China, and he feels GM could target a similar demographic in the US, or in an emerging market, where a small city car would appeal. With the 40kWh battery, it has a healthy city driving range of up to 300km, which is probably a week's driving for a good number of businesses. RELATED: This Heritage Series Grandeur EV Celebrates Hyundai's 1986 Flagship Sedan. var d = document, Of course there are more out there and many of them will come from China. The Macaron and Cabrio versions are likely to strengthen the Hong Guang MINI EV's market share in China, where it has already surpassed Tesla as the best-selling electric vehicle. So an incredibly cheap, bare-bones city car makes a lot of sense. In comparison to the previous standard trim level, the Macaron gets extra safety features, including a low-speed pedestrian alert, a reversing camera with rear parking sonar, and a driver-side airbag. According to Statista, the average person in China makes $US13,900 ($18,056) a year. Trendysort of. Under the extreme cold and high temperatures of -25 to 45 C, the vehicle has completed 28 tests over 300,000 kilometers. The EV has a lot more room in this arrangement. Thats actually not too bad for the price of four Changlis. The Macaron is a customized model with three unique paint colors and additional standard features. Marcus is a car enthusiast who loves writing about them. The Hong Guang MINI EV has a top speed of about 100 km/h, seats four and looks like a Japanese kei car. Surprisingly, the EV has a selector button hidden behind the steering wheel that lets you choose between Eco and Sport modes. A Detailed Look At The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV - HotCars dm.AjaxData.push({ et: et,d: d,ssid: ssid,ad: ad}); Wuling Hongguang Mini EV The cars crashed at 64 km/h (40 mph) each, with a 50% offset, which turned out to be deadly to the red neighborhood electric vehicle, despite both being similar in size and weight (560 kg Wuling vs 568 kg red EV). (function() { Dismiss, Left Hand Drive Only (steering wheel on left), (shipping, duties, taxes in your country additional), Exterior dimensions: 2,917 mm long x 1,493 mm wide x 1,621 mm high, Maximum power:13 kW(4 seat) / 9.2 kW (2 seat), Range:170 km on a single charge (4 seat) / 120 km (2 seat). TOKYO -- At 28,800 yuan ($4,500), the Hongguang Mini EV has become a big seller in certain Chinese cities and villages. More car parks, EV charging stations and battery-swapping facilities will be built, and battery recycling systems developed at a faster pace, Li said. w[ l ] = w[ l ] || []; [18], In 2021 Lithuanian company Nikrob UAB announced a rebadged version of the Mini EV called the FreZe Nikrob with knock-down assembly in Vilnius, Lithuania. The good thing is these firms are not messing around with these . 2020 Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV: Specs, Prices, Features Charging on a 220V supply takes 6.5 hours for the smaller battery and a full 9 hours for the 13.8 kWh pack. Nissan's Leaf remains the cheapest electric car in the US market, with the entry-level model priced at $20,875 (after the $7,500 federal tax credit). j.src = The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is the result of a three-way joint venture. The battery is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. That said, stuffing adults into those rear seats is not exactly comfortable. window.dm = window.dm ||{ AjaxData:[]}; margin-top: -19px; The controls for the electric windows are located on the center console, next to the drive selector knob. Rivian has two giant electric trucks, which will upset people who don't want these massive things bearing down on them, and the company says it has strong interest from local buyers. [24], The Mini EV listed as the world's top selling plug-in car in January 2021. 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=' + i + dl; Lets take a closer look at the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, RELATED: The Tata Avinya Concept Puts India On The Global EV Map. Priced this low, there is not much insulating the car from road noise. First, the driving position is very high and the seats are non-height-adjustable. And the lack of rear headrests would make anything but short journeys tiring on the neck. Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV has overtaken Tesla Model 3 as the world's most popular electric vehicle for the first time, according to the EV Sales blog. SAIC Motor is the largest partner, with 50.1 percent ownership. Car sales in China saw astounding growth until 2018, when sales dipped for the first time since the 1990s. Australia needs these Electric Vehicles - WhichCar [21], With six months in the market, the Mini EV sold 119,255 units in 2020, and ranked as China's and the world's second best selling plug-in car after the Tesla Model 3. Check out this review from the Wheelsboy YouTube channel: Samara said that one of his key goals for GM would be to transform operations in Europe into an agile mobility startup. Globally, GM is investing $35 billion dollars in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025, he said at the time, and we will focus closely on what customers need market by market, and where we will leverage our global investments in the areas of EVs and AVs to compete and win.. The electric motor that comes in this Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV is 20 kW. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is so cheap, because it's made - WapCar It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. GM reveals tiny, adorable electric convertible to be sold in China - CNN Alongside the truck is the R1S, an attractively boxy SUV starting at around seventy grand in the States, so probably a $160,000 bet here. Enter your email below. Dartz, a Latvian company known for bulletproof SUVs, was planning to sell the Mini EV as the Freze Nikrob in Europe, but those plans appear to have changed. Apple has several models in its lineup, from the iPhone SE to the iPhone 14 Plus. [5], The Mini EV can seat four people, and standard features including air conditioning, power windows, stereo system, storage and compartments. The compact zero-emission hatchback reportedly weighs just 665kg. a claimed 500 kilometre driving range (optimistic EPA number) and a ton of features, Rivian would struggle to meet demand, as it is already in its home market. Measuring just 2917mm long, 1493mm wide, 1621mm tall, and riding on a 1940mm wheelbase, the Mini EV is larger than the current Smart ForTwo by 222mm in length, 66mm in height, and 67mm in wheelbase. China is the worlds largest car market and it has some tricks up its sleeve to entice people to go electric. DAP Pricing Unless otherwise stated, all prices are shown as Manufacturer's Recommended List Price (MRLP) inclusive of GST, exclusive of options and on road costs. j.src = By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and The Wuling Mini EV features an electric motor providing 27 hp and 62.7 lb-ft of torque that powers the rear wheels and comes with either a 9.2 kWh battery or a bigger 13.8 kWh battery with a range of 110 miles, according to the NEDC. Mind you, access to the back is predictably quite tight from both sides, and once youve squeezed yourself in there, legroom is minimal. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. One of Chinas biggest automotive companiesin 2021 it was second by volumeSAIC is perhaps best known in Europe as the new owner of MG. Casual observers of the auto industry may be more surprised to learn that the second-largest Wuling owner, with 44 percent, is General Motors (the small remainder of the joint venture belongs to Wuling itself). The colors are Avocado Green, Lemon Yellow and White Peach Pink, which are the results of the collaboration of Wuling and Pantone Universe. We believe that most of the Wuling Hong Guang MINI EVs are driving on the streets and there is always a risk that such a crash might happen. [17], The Macaron is equipped with a small electric motor that generates a more powerful 20kW (27hp; 27PS) and 85Nm (63lbft) of torque compared to the previously launched base trim while range remains unchanged. [10], In 2020, the Mini EV had a price starting at US$4,162, and topped out at US$5,607 for a fully-loaded model, making it China's cheapest electric car. The front suspension is McPherson and the rear one is Multi-link dependent type. It would cost more to spec the cigar humidor glove box option on a Rolls-Royce or add Apple CarPlay to a Ferrari than to buy the Mini EV outright. SAIC Motor $4,500 Electric Car Reportedly Outsells Tesla - Insider Wuling Hongguang Mini EV The base version of the Hongguang is delivered with a 9.2 kWh battery and 13 kW electric motor which drives the rear wheels through a single-speed transmission. body #page { General information. It's time for car companies to step up and offer us some product that we all know would fly off the forecourts. Privacy Policy. j.async = true; Despite writing for a diverse range of outlets including the Australian Financial Review, Robb Report, and Property Observer since completing his media degree at Macquarie University, William has always had a passion for cars. New Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV Macaron Launches In China - GM Authority Release date - 2020. h = d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0],