According to Autohome, the micro electric two-door is slated to hit showrooms in 2022 and (at least initially) will be sold exclusively in China. It is a three-door electric microcar that . GM's Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV Gets New Upscale Trim Level 2020 Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV: Specs, Prices, Features Chinese "Macaron" EV is as Tiny and Cute as Its Name Suggests Inside, the Macaron gets exterior color-matching inserts for the door pulls and highlights around what pass for controls. High Price, Limited Performance Of European Electric Cars - Forbes 'gtm.start': Nikes most popular racing shoe is getting a reboot, The bird flu outbreak has taken an ominous turn, New Zealand faces a future of flood and fire, Explore AI like never before with our new database, Want the best tools to get healthy? Of course there are more out there and many of them will come from China. [14] The vehicle has been such a success that it has inspired a number of copycats and competitors, including the Chery QQ Ice Cream, Dongfeng Fengguang MINI EV,[15] and BAW S3. } ); Powering the rear wheels is an electric motor delivering 20 kW (27 hp) and 85 Nm of torque. The EV has a lot more room in this arrangement. Fees, charges, conditions and eligibility criteria apply. Thanks to the folding fabric roof and rollover hoops, the cabrio version is strictly a two-seater, though. The battery is barely bigger than your phone's at 5.5kWh and the top speed roughly comparable to jogging, but if you've seen Sydney or Melbourne Saturday traffic 45km/h is a distant dream. But Ford has more. The ForFour is somehow slightly cheaper, so would cost about the same. Wuling Hongguang Mini EV 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. margin-top: -19px; The Lightning would appeal to tradies and adventurers with a solid (if unspectacular) driving range, but its clever vehicle-to-load setup will make work and campsites much easier places to be. body #page { MacOS may be the apple of your eye, but some of its stock apps are a little rotten. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. A distinct whine from the electric motor accompanies you as you drive along. Tesla Giga Mexico To Be Two Times Bigger Than Giga Texas? It was first manufactured and delivered sometime in July 2020. Wuling itself may be hoping to replicate the Mini EVs success with its forthcoming Air EV, which appears to be a move into pricier models and could conceivably signal a desire to go after overseas markets. s.async = true; Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV - Electric Vehicle Specs j.async = true; 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. Part of the reason for this is the simplicity of the design. 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. This is paired to either a 9.2kWh, 13.9kWh, or 25.5kWh battery. If you need a bit more capacity, the back seats simply push down and pull up via a strap. [19], The Mini EV GameBoy Edition was introduced in March 2022. Similar to the Rivian, the Ford F-150 Lightning would surely go off here too. Potential buyers will need to enter a lottery in order to buy one., Wuling says production could expand if theres enough demand.. The area might hold something extremely tiny; however, the car contains charging cords on the bottom. General Motors (GM) has released new, colorful versions of China's best-selling electric car, the tiny Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV. An electrified version of Tatas Nanowhich is dubbed the world's cheapest car, costs just over $2,000, and is getting surprisingly decent reviewshas been rumored for some time now. When compared to one of the cheapest EVs on the market in the United States, the almost $28,000 Nissan Leaf, it's simple to understand why. Posted on April 19, 2021. The four-seat Hong Guang Mini, which has top speeds of 62 mph and an estimated cruising range of 120 miles, is being made as a joint venture between SAIC Motor, Liuzhou Wuling Motors, and. TOKYO -- At 28,800 yuan ($4,500), the Hongguang Mini EV has become a big seller in certain Chinese cities and villages. With a modest 80kW, but reasonable 280Nm, the E-NV200 would be extremely cheap to run. Tesla's biggest rival in China: an in-depth look at the - TESLARATI The front and rear lighting also appear less premium, going from two circular LEDs that looked like the headlights on the Honda e to a blockier shape that looks more like the c-shaped lights on a a lot of modern trucks. After all, the car is less than 3 meters long, 2,920 mm to be precise. 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. 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. The boot is almost non-existent when the seats are up: at best, you might be able to fit in one very thin painting. 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. img#wpstats{display:none} There are also Isofix child-seat connectors, and the seats are best designed for children or short journeys. Could General Motors at least apply lessons learned from producing this super-cheap EV to other markets? Onboard is a 9.3 kWh or 13.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack good for 75 or 169 km, respectively. The batterys functions can be remotely monitored via a smartphone app. Classified as a microcar, this Mini EV has done a fairly good job at keeping up with Tesla for worldwide EV shipments in 2021 (approx 424,138 shipments / deliveries). dm.AjaxData.push({ et: et,d: d,ssid: ssid,ad: ad}); The driver would have a chance to survive with some leg and head injury. VW is so far resisting calls to bring the Golf-sized ID.3 here to Australia, citing Government policy as a blocker. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. The Hong Guang MINI EV has a practical "small on the outside, big on the inside" design. Which iPhone Should You Buy (or Avoid) Right Now? The back seats, on the other hand, independently push down and draw up with a strap, which is necessary if one wishes to move anything other than people. 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. This EV is not available outside China, but we got behind the wheel of the luxury Macaron version in China to see if this super-cheap electric car was any good, and what US and European manufacturers could learn about how to make more affordable electric cars. Wuling is coy regarding acceleration figures, but since the vehicle is electric and has instantaneous torque, it isnt unduly slow in town traffic. Apollo Air & Air Pro eScooter With The Best Build Quality, EMOVE Cruiser : Best eScooter Under $1500, AnyHill UM-2 : Unique Heavy Duty eScooter, Maxus Euniq 6 - The All New Chinese Electric SUV, Kandi K27 - Cheapest Electric Car in America, Price at $10,000, Chevrolet Blazer EV Design, Specifications, Features, Price And Launch Date, Voyah Free - Premium Electric SUV Like Yacht, Tata Punch EV - Design, Features, Performance & Price. 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. That's a considerable price premium over the regular Hongguang Mini EV, which starts from just 32,800 yuan ($6900) and stretches to 69,8000 yuan ($14,700) for a fully-loaded Game Boy edition. Bizarrely, it's the EV we're most asked about after Tesla, despite its much lower profile. The controls for the electric windows are located on the center console, next to the drive selector knob. 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). Powering the rear wheels is an electric motor delivering 27 hp of power and 85 Nm of torque. But as a cheap introduction to electric family motoring, the car is infinitely safer and better than a scooter or motorbike. The Mini EV is equipped with a 9.2kWh battery capable of a NEDC range of 120km (75mi) or a 13.8kWh battery capable of a NEDC range of 170km (110mi). The score not being a 4 is mainly down to the considerable value on offer here, but we'd find it hard to ignore that lack of safety kit. 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. The GT versions pack a staggering dual-motor set up with 358kW and either 814Nm or 860Nm. So such a car, even devoid of bells or whistles, could make electric motoring affordable for a much broader market. It's time for car companies to step up and offer us some product that we all know would fly off the forecourts. It's a small vehicle, without fancy safety systems, but the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture envisioned a front crumple zone. You can whine all you like about the size, but large American trucks are selling here even after expensive right-hand drive conversions. SHANGHAI - Wuling launched the Hong Guang MINI EV today. The colors areAvocado Green, Lemon Yellow, and White Peach Pink, which are the results of the collaboration of Wuling and Pantone Universe. Check out this review from the Wheelsboy YouTube channel: The Macaron version gains a reversing camera, which the screen also shows. We break them all down. The production Mini EV Cabrio looks less premium than the concept. And the lack of rear headrests would make anything but short journeys tiring on the neck. But the two-tone paint is still kind of here! Meet GM's Best Selling EV: Wuling Hongguang Mini EV Thats actually not too bad for the price of four Changlis. Theres a choice between 9.3- and 13.8-kWh battery packs, which are good for ranges of 75 miles (120 km) and 106 miles (170 km), respectively, under the already generous NEDC standard. /* ]]> */ 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. Dartz's decision to redesign the car's body highlights one of the obvious problems with selling the Chinese car in Western markets: safety. One-pedal driving is not really possible, as the car simply takes too long to slow downprobably because it only weighs 700 kg (1,543 lbs). Standard safety features of the Mini EV include anti-lock brakes, tire pressure monitoring sensors, and rear parking sensors. Wuling Launches Hong Guang MINI EV - EV Obsession The Wuling Hong Guan Mini EV Cabrio Is Really Happening - Gizmodo Australia The production model probably wont get the body-coloured mirror, either. E lectric vehicles should be going great guns at the moment - we've all been trapped in the country (and mostly our states) for months, there's nothing to do and for some . RELATED: This Heritage Series Grandeur EV Celebrates Hyundai's 1986 Flagship Sedan. In the end, all the states can do is lead a punter to a beer, it's up to the product makers to make one nice enough to drink. j = d.createElement( s ), dl = l != 'dataLayer' ? new Date().getTime(), event: 'gtm.js' Limited to using a standard 220V AC outlet, charging is naturally slow, with the base battery pack taking six hours to fully recharge. SAIC Motor $4,500 Electric Car Reportedly Outsells Tesla - Insider Copyright Drive.com.au 2023ABN: 84 116 608 158. Peter Anderson spent his high school years reading car mags in the back of class, and is mostly unable to count past the 18 fingers he has. Yes, I wish to receive exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions from our partners. }; 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. Get weekly updates with the latest car news and reviews. Surprisingly, the EV has a selector button hidden behind the steering wheel that lets you choose between Eco and Sport modes. The Wuling MINI EV from GM costs between $4,000 and $6,000. it has halogen headlamps and halogen bulbs in indicators and rear lights. new Date().getTime(), event: 'gtm.js' Everything You Need to Work From Home Like a Pro. Despite its compact dimensions the Hongguang Mini EV has four seats. Lots of people ask why there aren't any small EVs on the market (we quickly explain there are several), and the talk quickly turns to price. A shame, but if it could land at a mid-$30k price point, French car fans are just mad enough to do it. (function() { In his spare time Derek loves chasing automotive rabbits down the hole. The Hong Guang MINI EV has a top speed of about 100 km/h, seats four and looks like a Japanese kei car. With fossil fuel prices soaring, its hardly surprising that most markets are crying out for cheaper EVs. The Mini EV is a step up from this levelcloser to a Japanese kei micro car. I imagine it wont be that different from the roofed models. As of January 2022, sales since inception have passed 500,000 units, and the Mini EV has become the best-selling electric car in China. window.dm = window.dm ||{ AjaxData:[]}; And with such small wheels, you feel every pothole, all the more so given the poorly padded seats.