The teeny cute-as EV sells for around US $5,000; is 2.9 m long, 1.5 m wide and 1.6 m tall; has 2 doors / 4 seats; reaches 100 kph and has a battery range of 170 km. It has just been relaunched with a bunch of improvements and in three Pantone colors - Avocado Green, Lemon Yellow and White Peach Pink. (It seems that matchy matchy is back in China too.)
The car is made by SGMW, a JV between GMH and two Chinese companies - SAIC Motor and Liuzhou Wuling Motors. It went on sale for the first time last July and SGMW expect to sell 400,000 this year. The price point and versatility in the size are the big selling points, along with its sustainability credentials.
The Tesla Model 3 used to be the best-selling electric car in China, but the price tag is too expensive for most Chinese drivers and of course the tag on the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV takes it to a whole new audience. While it's unlikely that a Tesla buyer would have switched to a Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV, it does show how quickly the EV market will broaden once new price points are options.
Tesla sales dominate in the UK since their launch into the market in 2019, selling more than 3 times as many as their closest rival, the Nissan Leaf. EVs now account for 11% of all car sales in the UK.
Meanwhile in Europe, it is a very different story as Schmidt Automotive Research say that Volkswagen Group has more than doubled Tesla’s sales in rolling 12-month EV sales in Europe and its lead continues to grow. With more EV models to choose from than shoes in your closet, the Volkswagen Group claimed around 1/4 of all EV sales. Tesla seems to have lost its darling status as the Renault/Nissan alliance, Hyundai/Kia and Stellantis each sold more than the once-undisputed EV leader.