In pursuit of a bestseller: another Mini EV has appeared in China, this time from Dongfeng
Dongfeng Motor Corporation decided to try its luck in the fuel-efficient electric vehicle segment in the Chinese market, which is currently dominated by SAIC-GM's Wuling Hongguang Mini EV. A similar urban electric vehicle, the Dongfeng Fengguang Mini EV, has been announced and will be previewed in the first quarter of next year.
Dongfeng, a Chinese state-owned company that has been in existence since 1969, has grown into the 21st century through joint ventures with Honda, Kia, Nissan, Peugeot and Citroen, but their own branded products aren't shaky or on the bestseller lists. Dongfeng overslept the electric vehicle segment in the domestic market – literally last year it launched the premium Voyah brand for it, and this week it announced a huge budget model under the Dongfeng Fengguang brand and named it after SAIC-GM's very successful Mini EV model.
Wuling Hongguang mini electric car
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV debuted last summer and literally blew up the Chinese market – check out CleanTechnica's list of China's best-selling electric and plug-in hybrids for the first 11 months of this year. The Wuling electric car is leading here by a wide margin from all other models – 368,396 units were sold.
The minimum price for the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is only 28,800 yuan, or 333 thousand conventional units in terms of the current exchange rate of the Central Bank?. With a length of 2914 mm and a wheelbase of 1940 mm, the Mini EV can seat four people and has an attractive design (at least for Chinese consumers). The best-selling base powertrain now includes a 20kW (27hp) electric motor and a 9.3kWh battery that can be fully charged for 120km. An additional 13.9 kWh battery increases the range to 170 km. The maximum speed is 100 km / h. In general, a great option for the city.
Wuling Hongguang mini electric car
Of course, other Chinese manufacturers immediately rushed to make analogues of the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV: in August, Chery introduced an electrolyzer on wheels, and now Dongfeng will have its own Mini EV. Only three official images of Dongfeng Fengguang Mini EV have been published so far, the first full version will be in 2022. Chinese media reports that the sedan's overall length is 2995mm, width is 1495mm, height is 1640mm, and the wheelbase is 1960mm. The electric motor will be slightly more powerful than the Wuling at 25 kW (34 hp). Detailed information about the new product is not yet available.
Dongfeng Fenggguang Mini EV
The design of the Dongfeng Fengguang Mini EV, as you can see, does not literally copy the competitor, but rearranges the quotes by sections: for example, black inserts on the sides of the stern fall lower towards the rear lights. There are also original details – funny “mustache” in the front bumper and oblique embossing on the doors.
Dongfeng Fenggguang Mini EV
It's too early to talk about the export prospects of the Dongfeng Fengguang Mini EV, but the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is already on sale outside of China: in Europe it is offered by the Latvian company Dartz called Freze Nikrob – the same company that produces monstrous armored SUVs.