The Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV has grabbed the title of China’s favorite Electric Vehicle (EV) as the company has broken another record by selling 40,000 of its units in August 2021.
As per recent reports, the total sales volume for the Mini EV amounted to 41,188 units, which is a new record. This is an especially impressive figure, given that the SAIC-GM-Wuling Joint Venture collectively sold slightly north of 43,500 vehicles in total, of which the Mini EV is a significant part.
Tesla and BYD sold over 44,000 and 60,500 units of their EVs respectively.
The Mini EV was officially debuted in the Chinese car market in June 2021. Since then, Wuling has reportedly delivered over 250,000 vehicles to customers, with the total sales quickly approaching half a million units in just over a year of its launch.
Furthermore, given the steadily rising demand for the vehicle, the SAIC-GM-Wuling group has estimated that Wuling will sell around 50,000 units of the Mini EV in the near future.
Pakistani Public Reception
About six months ago, Javed Afridi — the key stakeholder of MG Pakistan (also owned by SAIC Motors) — teased the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV for the Pakistani market with a caption “WULING MINI EV FOR PAKISTAN MARKET BELOW 1 MILLION PKR COMING SOON”.
https://twitter.com/JAfridi10/status/1377316769329782796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1377316769329782796%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpropakistani.pk%2F2021%2F04%2F01%2Fjaved-afridi-teases-mg-electric-car-that-will-cost-less-than-rs-1-million%2F
The Mini EV is a small, lightweight city car that is offered with two variants: the base variant with a 9.2 kWh battery pack that allows for a range of 120 km; and a better variant with a 13.8 kWh battery that offers a range of 170 km. They both have the same powertrain option — a 13 kW single electric motor that makes 17.4 hp and 85 Nm of torque.
The Mini EV is equipped with all the basic features such as ABS brakes, tire pressure monitoring sensors, rear parking sensors, an AC, power windows, a stereo system, 12 storage compartments, and 741 liters of trunk space with the rear seats folded down. However, it lacks airbags, which slightly reduces its desirability.
Regardless, the Mini EV could be a great value car for the Pakistani market for under Rs. 1 million.
