Surprisingly, the EV has a selector button hidden behind the steering wheel that lets you choose between Eco and Sport modes. The latest on tech, science, and more: Get our newsletters! /* ]]> */ The results: left - driver, right - passenger in the rear: Well, if this is the result of a 50% frontal crash with a light neighborhood electric vehicle, it's scary to think what would happen if it would be a standard car (1,200-2,400 kg). With no fast-charging capacity, the Mini EV is essentially a city car. The EVs Australia needs. No spare tire is given as well. Tesla's biggest rival in China is the Wuling HongGuang Mini EV that starts at around $4,200. Wuling is coy regarding acceleration figures, but since the vehicle is electric and has instantaneous torque, it isnt unduly slow in town traffic. In this story we're looking at EVs that exist today that we miss out on. Safer than a scooter. This is enough to accommodate two 26-inch suitcases or a stroller. The BYD Han EV, which could arrive in Australia some time soon, sold 9,298 units, followed by GW (Great Wall) ORA Black Cat and GAC Aion S, both selling 6,092 units. Above 30 mph, you end up fighting the cars desire to go in a straight line. It's time for car companies to step up and offer us some product that we all know would fly off the forecourts. 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. Under Euro NCAP regulations, for example, electronic stability control (ESC) is mandatory, but the Mini EV lacks that feature. 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. Whether you want a new keyboard or a robot vac, theres something for everyone. Release date - 2020. Pricing for the drop-top version has yet to be determined, but according to .css-vurnku{box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;min-width:0;}Automotive News the convertible will sell for between 100,000 yuan ($20,000) and 200,000 yuan ($42,100).. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the Mini EV can seat four. So successful is Wulings Mini EV that not only are Chinese producers rapidly coming up with copycat cars, Wuling itself is busy making different versions of the vehicle, including a forthcoming cabriolet and a long-range version. And, like any good motoring journalist, we will insist that not only must the VW Up! 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. It's a small vehicle, without fancy safety systems, but the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture envisioned a front crumple zone. The back seats are equipped with two ISOFIX child safety seat restraint interfaces to cater to young families. With a modest 80kW, but reasonable 280Nm, the E-NV200 would be extremely cheap to run. The Hong Guang Mini EV electric hatchback launched in July 2020 and is manufactured through a joint venture between China's Wuling, Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC Motor, and General. 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. 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. 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. The ForTwo is about 19,000 in the UK which could translate to a low to mid-$30k price tag. Theres a choice of a 9.3kWh or 13.8kWh battery pack. var f = d.getElementsByTagName( s )[ 0 ], 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. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and In a design choice that perhaps speaks to the affordability of display parts, the instrument panel is a full-color digital screen. This is a low-cost entry, low-cost ownership electric car after all, so the small design touches the production model lost arent a big deal. Lets take a closer look at the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, RELATED: The Tata Avinya Concept Puts India On The Global EV Map. The front brake is a disk brake and the rear one is a drum brake. The space might be able to fit something very thin, but the bottom is taken up with charging cables. Part of the reason for this is the simplicity of the design. The Mini EV Macaron: A version of the normal Mini EV introduced in April 2021. Once in the drivers seat, you immediately notice two issues. The ID.4's SUV-like approach is also likely to play well with Australians, and we know it's already coming so one imagines the local business just doesn't think the ID.3 will resonate with Australian buyers. Hard plastics are everywhere, and you can see the screw that attaches the door handle insert to the door. The boot is almost non-existent when the seats are up: at best, you might be able to fit in one very thin painting. We're here to help you find the right slate for your needs. Whether youre skiing in the backcountry or trampolining in the backyard, we have an activity tracker for you. The same is not said for the steering, which is quite sloppy. Among the Macaron's many improvements over the basic Mini EV is a key safety featurethe driver now gets an airbag standard. The battery pack is pre-started to warm up and maintain the battery pack temperature at 20-25 C to achieve low-temperature charging efficiency. 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. Bit of a slam dunk this one. if(typeof window.DotMetricsObj != 'undefined') {DotMetricsObj.onAjaxDataUpdate();} 145/70R12 With such small tires, any potholes you encounter are keenly felt in the cabin. j = d.createElement( s ), dl = l != 'dataLayer' ? The Hong Guang MINI EV has a practical "small on the outside, big on the inside" design. Privacy Policy. The production model probably wont get the body-coloured mirror, either. Ad Choices. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. (function() { j = d.createElement( s ), dl = l != 'dataLayer' ? electric van, but we can't for the life of us remember if we've ever seen one in the wild. Produced by SAIC-GM (GM) -Wuling, a company partially owned by General Motors, the Hong Guang Mini EV sells at a starting price that's equivalent to about $4,400. The Macaron is sold as a more premium and personalized variant that features redesigned darkened LED headlights, two-tone alloy wheels and exclusive body colors. The enchanting little thing looks like loads of fun! Wuling's Mini EV, made in partnership with General Motors, outsells Teslas Model 3 in China and costs less than adding CarPlay to a Ferrari. Exterior specifications of Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV 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. But is it safe? Onboard is a 9.3 kWh or 13.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack good for 75 or 169 km, respectively. One-pedal driving isn't practical since the automobile takes too long to slow down, owing to its lightweight of 1,543 pounds. Cutting Edge Mini City EV - the Hong Guang MINI EV has a practical "small on the outside, big on the inside" design Left Hand Drive Only (steering wheel on left) Taking orders now for export direct (shipping, duties, taxes in your country additional) It is available in 2 versions: 2-seat with 120KM range battery / $5500 4-seat with 170KM range battery / $6600 Exterior dimensions: 2,917 mm . A single electric motor sends 13kW to the rear wheels, and voltage is drawn from a 9.2kWh lithium-polymer battery, permitting a claimed range of 120km. . With our Prime Minister embarrassing himself at COP26 by walking down the steps from his plane waving a piece of paper guaranteeing net-zero by relying on technology that is either discredited (carbon capture and storage) or non-existent (TBA), it's up to the states to make electric vehicles appealing. 'gtm.start': Which is probably holding back the funky hatchback from a local release in electric form, just as it's hugely unlikely we'll ever see the ICE 208 here. 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. 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. [6], Power is produced by an electric motor making a peak 20kW (27hp; 27PS) and 85Nm (63lbft) of torque[7] with rear-wheel drive, propelling the car to a stated top speed of 100km/h (62mph). Perhaps the local arm should consider Ford's idea of a much larger unit, the Master Z.E.? The Hong Guang Mini EV's convenience and low price have made it . After hitting the market in July 2020, GM reports that over 270,000 models have been sold. Take a bite of these third-party apps instead. As of January2022[update], sales since inception have passed 500,000 units, and the Mini EV has become the best-selling electric car in China. The Hongguang Mini EV, a joint venture between the Chinese-owned SAIC Motor and US auto giant General Motors (GM), retails for $4,500 (around 3,200 / AU$5600) and is proving a hit against its. Limited to using a standard 220V AC outlet, charging is naturally slow, with the base battery pack taking six hours to fully recharge. Not only did Wuling sling 15,000 units in only its first 20 days on the market, but its currently beating Tesla Model 3 sales almost two to one, InsideEVs reports. 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. RELATED: This Heritage Series Grandeur EV Celebrates Hyundai's 1986 Flagship Sedan. In January,CarAdvice reported a hard-top variant of the Hongguang Mini EV designed and built as part of a collaboration betweenSAIC and General Motors outsold the Tesla Model 3 in Chinathroughout January 2021, thanks in part to its impressive AU$5700price tag. Of course there are more out there and many of them will come from China. It's highly likely theCabrio will share the fixed-roof model's same powertrain. '&l=' + l : ''; 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. The four motor R1T ute starts at under 70 grand in the US and would probably still be competitive after the usual taxes, charges and Government obstacles were cleared most likely walloping buyers around $150k in local trim. Both of these only seat two people, and the E200 is also sold in a slightly restyled manner as the Wuling Nano, with a more powerful motor and longer ranges. window.dm.AjaxEvent = function(et, d, ssid, ad){ But Ford has more. I know Id rather have to change out that tiny bulb when it goes out than have to mess with an entire LED array. Can seat four. You already know where this is going the Honda E. We're obviously not privy to the behind-closed-doors discussions that go on at car companies, but the local arm's decision to pass on one of the coolest cars on the planet, EV or not, is bizarre. [CDATA[ */ The lack of proper headrests for adults makes any long journey a challenge. Yes, I wish to receive exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions from our partners. Standard features in China reportedly include air conditioning, rear parking sensors, anti-lock brakes, and a stereo system. Your email address will not be published. s.async = true; It is a three-door electric microcar that . However, the Mini EV's small size makes dashing in and out of traffic extremely enjoyable. It would be easy to compare the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV unfairly with pricier and better-equipped cars. A Detailed Look At The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, The Tata Avinya Concept Puts India On The Global EV Map. Derek Fung would love to tell you about his multiple degrees, but he's too busy writing up some news right now. new Date().getTime(), event: 'gtm.js' Sport mode appears to be the superior option, offering significantly faster acceleration and more obvious brake regeneration. 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). 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. The colors areAvocado Green, Lemon Yellow, and White Peach Pink, which are the results of the collaboration of Wuling and Pantone Universe. This electric car is so popular among Chinese drivers that Wuling is making a cabrio model for 2022 despite convertibles not selling well in the country, as Car News China reports. f.parentNode.insertBefore( j, f ); He travels frequently and always seeks out the best driving roads to really test a car's limits. We don't mean the $4500 Wuling Hongguang Mini EV that Youtube dutifully trotted out as a Tesla killer in the last couple of months, but a whole bunch of Geely Group cars wearing various badges including Lynk & Co. Get in the comments and let us know which ones we missed or how wrong we were about the ones we haven't. 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 km/h. These are very limited, with three dials for climate control and a very small LCD screen for the radio. Avocado Green, Lemon Yellow, and White Peach Pink are the colors created by Wuling in partnership with Pantone Universe. Required fields are marked *. Dartz's decision to redesign the car's body highlights one of the obvious problems with selling the Chinese car in Western markets: safety. VW is so far resisting calls to bring the Golf-sized ID.3 here to Australia, citing Government policy as a blocker. The Macaron is a more luxury and personalized model with modified darkened LED headlights, two-tone alloy wheels, and unique body colors. ( function( w, d, s, l, i ) { The Hong Guang Mini EV (really doesn't roll off the tongue, does it?)