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. [CDATA[ */ WIREDs is in avocado green, but the model is also available in lemon yellow and white peach pink. 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. 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. The wheels look nearly identical, though, and so does the A-pillar and most everything above the door. ( function( w, d, s, l, i ) { 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. All rights reserved. However, the rear seats do individually push down and pull up with a strap, which is essential if you want to transport anything other than people. His favorite cars are anything with a manual transmission, and he's been known to spend hours just shifting through all the gears. 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). As a result, Ford Australia's first electric car is going to be a van, the e-Transit. * MINI Finance, Australian Credit Licence 392387. [5] Overview [ edit] Rear view 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 . TOKYO -- At 28,800 yuan ($4,500), the Hongguang Mini EV has become a big seller in certain Chinese cities and villages. 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. [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. 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. However, in the case of the Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV, things look much better. He travels frequently and always seeks out the best driving roads to really test a car's limits. ( function( w, d, s, l, i ) { Surprisingly, the EV has a selector button hidden behind the steering wheel that lets you choose between Eco and Sport modes. While electric sedans and SUVs rapidly proliferate, there continues to be a dearth of drop-top EVs beyond the likes of the cabriolet versions of the Smart ForTwo and Fiat 500e. You can whine all you like about the size, but large American trucks are selling here even after expensive right-hand drive conversions. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is the result of a three-way joint venture. Updated daily with news on EV cars, EV bikes, EV scooters, electric vehicles Trends and market, commercial EVs, sales reports as well as detailed reviews by experts. Heres our ultimate list of more than 120 items, from monitors and desks to webcams and chairs. With seven seats (that'll be popular, don't you think?) j = d.createElement( s ), dl = l != 'dataLayer' ? Check out this review from the Wheelsboy YouTube channel: Despite its cheap price, it also comes with a suite of handy features like radar for reversing, antilock brakes and a tire pressure monitoring system. Click for Comparison rate warning and T&Cs. Based in New York, New York, Derek loves to travel and is very much a window not an aisle person. On top of that, there's a cargo version, which would be brilliant for the suburbs. The Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV is creating an awesome new market and as expected, other firms are following with similar models. Luckily as youre unlikely to ever get the Mini EV much above 50 mph this never becomes too much of a problem. The Wuling MINI EV from GM costs between $4,000 and $6,000. Range is claimed to be between 120km on the base battery, and 280km on top-spec versions. With sales commencing as early as September 2020. Wuling is coy regarding acceleration figures, but since the vehicle is electric and has instantaneous torque, it isnt unduly slow in town traffic. 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. The Battery Capacity, which is one of the most important parts of an Electric Vehicle, is 9.3 kWh or 13.9 kWh. Given all of its other flaws, that's probably not a terrible thing. 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. 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. He has maintained a primary focus on industry trends, autonomous technology, electric vehicle regulations, and local environmental policy. Here you can see more details about the technical specification of the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV. j.async = true; A new all-electric car that is tiny in both size and price has again outsold the Tesla Model 3 in China on a month-by-month basis, with sales of the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV almost doubling those of Telsa's hugely popular global best-seller in January 2021. Lets take a closer look at the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, RELATED: The Tata Avinya Concept Puts India On The Global EV Map. The boot is almost non-existent when the seats are up: at best, you might be able to fit in one very thin painting. 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. They're not cheap though, and here in Australia suffered from a bit of a Tiddly Cars from Toy Town image. One must resist the car's urge to travel in a straight line over 30 mph. The overall looks of the car seem to be very simple and boxy. Privacy Policy. The Mini EV is a step up from this levelcloser to a Japanese kei micro car. Dartz's decision to redesign the car's body highlights one of the obvious problems with selling the Chinese car in Western markets: safety. Enter your email below. Tesla Teased A Wireless Home Charging Solution On Investor Day, Rad Power Unveils The RadRunner 3 Plus Electric Utility Bike, Scout Motors Will Build Electric Trucks And SUVs In South Carolina, 741 liters of space with the rear seats folded down, 2,917 millimeters long, 1,493 millimeters wide and 1,621 millimeters high, with a 1,940-millimeter wheelbase. SAIC Motor is the largest partner, with 50.1 percent ownership. Yes, I wish to receive exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions from our partners. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a battery electric vehicle (BEV). The e-Crafter van would be a good idea too if it wasn't left-hook only. After another 40,000 units or so in November, the total number of Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV soon will reach 500,000 - in just 18 months. Charging on a 220V supply takes 6.5 hours for the smaller battery and a full 9 hours for the 13.8 kWh pack. The production model probably wont get the body-coloured mirror, either. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV (Chinese: MiniEV) is a battery electric city car manufactured by SAIC-GM-Wuling since 2020. Release date - 2020. The tiny EV is made available only as a left-hand drive vehicle by local grey importers and is understood to not offer a warranty of any sort. It has received an advanced IP68 waterproof and dustproof rating and been put through 16 rigorous safety tests. Australia's list of on-sale electric vehicles is growing at a glacial pace. Each features a slightly different exterior finish, different wheels, and different trim. But the Mini EVs diminutive size also makes darting in and out of traffic quite satisfying. Nissan's Leaf is the company's only electric passenger car here in Australia and our suggestion here is not going to add to that list. Marketed as 'commuting tool,' Hong Guang Mini outsells the Model 3. Which iPhone Should You Buy (or Avoid) Right Now? 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. A battery-powered motor lets you enjoy most of the benefits of biking, minus the sweat. EV Auto Explorer is India's leading Electric Vehicles news website. The area might hold something extremely tiny; however, the car contains charging cords on the bottom. [19], The Mini EV GameBoy Edition was introduced in March 2022. /* ]]> */ Bit of a slam dunk this one. The battery is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. [9], A 26.5kWh model is due for 2022, with 280 kilometres (170mi) (CLTC) estimated range, an optional more powerful 30kW (40hp; 41PS) motor, and an improved interior. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a little electric vehicle (EV) that's been making waves bigger than its 12-inch wheels can ever suggest: it's been outselling Teslas and traversing floods in China, and its entry into Thailand and Indonesia have also got Malaysians excited.. Part of the massive sales numbers and interest - Chinese customers have bought over 500,000 of these since June 2019 . /*