[ĐÁNH GIÁ XE] Wuling Mini EV: Cheap, small, convenient, but...

Although only sold in its home country of China, the Wuling Mini EV quickly surpassed the Tesla Model 3 to become the best-selling electric car in the world thanks to its low price and compact size. Expected to go on sale from the end of June 2023, will this car model be successful in Vietnam?

“Born” by the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture in June 2020 in its home country of China with the full name “Wuling Hongguang Mini EV“, this domestic electric car model quickly created a “sales storm” thanks to its starting price of only about 4,000 USD (equivalent to less than 100 million VND) and extremely small, extremely convenient size. In addition, the neighboring Government’s large promotion policy to stimulate the development of domestic electric vehicles is also a reason for the explosive success of Wuling mini EV.

After launch, Wuling mini EV “started” smoothly with 127,651 cars sold in just the last 6 months of 2020. By 2021, car sales began to explode with 395,451 cars delivered to customers. This number continues to increase steadily, reaching 404,823 units in 2023. As of the beginning of this year, sales of this minicar model have exceeded 1.1 million vehicles.

That is, on average, each month, there are more than 30,000 Wuling mini EVs sold. For easy comparison, at peak times, no car model in Vietnam has achieved sales of 3,000 cars/month. In 2022, the Vietnamese market also reached the milestone of selling 500,000 cars per year for the first time.

Possessing super “slim” dimensions LxWxH of only 2,917 x 1,493 x 1,621 mm, wheelbase 1,940 mm long; Wuling mini EV is forced to take advantage of everything to ensure enough interior space for passengers. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that this minicar model has a square design, similar to Japanese domestic Keicars – it seems odd at first glance but is extremely practical.

The vehicle’s unladen weight is only 665kg. With such “physique and weight”, Wuling mini EV will prove extremely superior when users need to park in cramped urban areas or manage traffic jams.

Shaped as a low-cost car model, it should be equipped with Wuling mini EV Just stop at a level that is just enough for use. On the exterior, the car has a full-halogen lighting system from the main lights, turn signals, fog lights and brake lights.

The radiator grille is designed to be square and neat. The front and rear underbody shields are also made very simply. The tall, square bonnet creates a familiar, easy-to-see feeling like a Keicar.

Along both sides of the car’s body, the Wuling mini EV is equipped with mechanical folding and opening rearview mirrors, the door opens with a mechanical key, not a smartkey, and a fairly modest footprint with only 12-inch wheels but still equipped with disc brakes. At the back of the car there are 2 reverse sensors.

Inside the interior compartment, Wuling mini EV It is also very modestly equipped with the main materials being plastic and felt. The dashboard is extremely simple, including 3 single-zone mechanical air conditioning knobs, Radio or USB audio entertainment system, horizontal air conditioning vents and cup holders.

Driver amenities are a bit more “generous”, with a square color screen displaying vehicle parameters located behind the steering wheel. The two-spoke steering wheel is very simple, does not integrate any buttons other than the horn. Below the foot, two pedals marked + and – represent brake and accelerator.

The car does not have a central armrest, but instead has a mechanical brake lever, 2 window up and down keys, a cup holder and a knob to adjust 4 modes: charge – reverse – stop – forward (when parking, you must go to N and pull the handbrake).

The four seats on the Wuling mini EV are felt seats, mechanically adjustable for the front row, all headrests cannot be adjusted in position. Even though a 1.7m tall person can still sit in the rear seats, the leg space is extremely cramped.

If the rear seats are folded, passengers can have a luggage compartment of up to 741 L. When the rear seats are fully folded, the luggage compartment cannot store items.

Regarding operating power, Wuling Mini EV There are two battery options: 9.2 kWh (running 120 km per full charge) and 13.8 kWh (travel range up to 170 km); Both are equipped with an electric motor on the rear axle, giving a maximum capacity of 17.4 horsepower (20 kW) and torque of 85 Nm, maximum speed of 100 km/h.

With such equipment and configuration, don’t expect the Wuling mini EV to bring “driving feeling”. This is simply a means of protection from rain, sun, dust and wind to travel short distances every day.

In fact, in China, this car model is also equipped with airbags; But it is still only suitable for use in urban areas at low speeds and does not guarantee safety if a collision occurs with other vehicles.

In Indonesia, the company’s joint venture also sold cars under the name Wuling AirEV With a price of 243 million Rupiah, equivalent to more than 380 million VND, the car includes more advanced equipment, such as: larger size, 2 airbags, upgraded battery capacity to 26.7 kWh (equivalent to 300km of travel), a more powerful 30kW electric motor and an app that connects smartly with smartphones.

In Vietnam, the joint venture TMT Motors also revealed the image of the assembly line of the Wuling mini EV that has come into operation and shipped the first cars, signaling that the launch date is near.

When pitching around the end of this month, most likely Wuling Mini EV Airbag equipment will be reduced. The car’s price is rumored by many sources to be over 200 million VND – completely unreasonable and losing the car’s cheap price advantage as in the domestic market.

However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the company “played a smokescreen” and then relaunched it at a cheaper price to create a media effect. But no matter what, Wuling Mini EV is only worth buying when positioned at a price range of about 100 million VND – equivalent to today’s high-end scooter models.

Mr. Phan (Tuoitrethudo)