Photo: Wuling
We have been following the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV carefully because it is a best-seller in China. It has already sold more than 370,000 units since July 2020, when it was presented. The automaker has recently revealed the arrival of a larger version of it, with a bigger battery pack, but the Chinese want more. Or less, depending on the perspective you adopt. On September 29, Wuling will present the NanoEV at the Tianjin Auto Show.
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it really is. Tata tried to sell the world’s cheapest car only to discover that this sort of marketing argument made Indians avoid it at all costs. The company almost made an electric version of the Nano, but it never went on sale. Wuling pays tribute to that Tata effort, whether that’s intentional or not.
According to CNEVPost, the tiny two-seater will be 2.50 meters (98.4 inches) long, 1.53 m (60.2 in) wide, 1.62 m (63.8 in) tall, and have a wheelbase of 1.60 m (63 in). It is 42 cm (16.5 in) shorter than the Mini EV, but it is built on the same platform, the GSEV (Global Small Electric Vehicle) architecture.
Considering Wuling only makes RMB89 ($13.8 at the current exchange rate) for each Mini EV the company sells, the NanoEV should present even narrower profit margins. With 42 cm less, its battery pack is certainly much smaller than that on its bigger brother, which means that the range has been affected if the weight difference does not allow the NanoEV to travel further with less energy available.
The company must be sure there will be demand for something even smaller than a Mini EV, but it will have to make the NanoEV unbeatable from a price perspective. If the cost difference between them is not massive, most customers will probably stick with the Mini EV, which can seat two more people while being only slightly longer. We’ll soon learn if there’s room for another tiny EV in China, even if it is so small that it can fit anywhere.
According to CNEVPost, the tiny two-seater will be 2.50 meters (98.4 inches) long, 1.53 m (60.2 in) wide, 1.62 m (63.8 in) tall, and have a wheelbase of 1.60 m (63 in). It is 42 cm (16.5 in) shorter than the Mini EV, but it is built on the same platform, the GSEV (Global Small Electric Vehicle) architecture.
Considering Wuling only makes RMB89 ($13.8 at the current exchange rate) for each Mini EV the company sells, the NanoEV should present even narrower profit margins. With 42 cm less, its battery pack is certainly much smaller than that on its bigger brother, which means that the range has been affected if the weight difference does not allow the NanoEV to travel further with less energy available.
The company must be sure there will be demand for something even smaller than a Mini EV, but it will have to make the NanoEV unbeatable from a price perspective. If the cost difference between them is not massive, most customers will probably stick with the Mini EV, which can seat two more people while being only slightly longer. We’ll soon learn if there’s room for another tiny EV in China, even if it is so small that it can fit anywhere.
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