Wuling Air: A cool-looking tiny electric car

Wuling, a little-known automaker in the world, is doing wonders in China's southwest region. With its tiny bare-bones EV called Hongguang Mini, the automaker dominates the electric car segment, outselling even top players like Tesla. 

For the unacquainted, Wuling is a joint venture between SAIC Motor, GM and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile Industry, which is now ready to make an entry into the Indonesian market. The company showcased its two EVs at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show late last year. Of which one is none other than its hot-selling Mini EV (pictured below), while the other is Baojun KiWi EV. Both these small electric cars underpin the brand's Global Small Electric Vehicle platform.

Well, it's not just Indonesia; it seems that China's top EV maker plans to enter the Malaysian market as well. And we can say so in the light of recent spy shots of the Mini EV in the country. The electric car was spotted on a flatbed truck by Zulfadzli Mustafar, one of the Malaysian Electric Vehicle Owners Club members. Where there is smoke, there is fire!

But, there is no more unofficial or official information on this yet, so better skip it for now and look at the more upmarket version of this incredibly successful tiny car, the Wuling Air ev (the "ev" part gets the lower-car font for this car).

Slotted above the Mini EV in the brand's lineup, the Air electric car is expected to launch in China in the third quarter of the year. Let's check out its key highlights -

Dimensions 

The Wuling Air EV comes in two versions - a short wheelbase for 2 passengers and a long-wheelbase version with seating space for 4. The dimensions of the LWB are 2974 mm in length, 1505 mm in width, and 1631 mm in height, with a wheelbase measuring 2010 mm. The curb weight stands at 860 kg. On the contrary, the SWB is 2599 mm long, 1505 mm wide, 1640 mm tall, with a wheelbase spanning around 1635 mm and a 760 kg curb weight.

Exterior design

Just like its elder brother, the Air EV also has a boxy shape with a daring front. The car's rear end features a red light bar over the whole width just above the company's badge. The fog light is placed low on the bumper. On the 4-seater model, there is a rear-side window much lower than the door window, while the door handle is positioned at the crossing point between the two. Towards the side, we see the large door covering the entire length of the EV, which seems to offer an easy entry and exit to the passengers.

Powertrain 

Regardless of the dimensions, the Wuling Air ev comes fitted with a front-wheel-drive electric motor delivering a maximum power output of 40 hp. The motor is paired with a lithium iron phosphate battery, whose capacity is not known yet. Also, the automaker did not reveal the EV's driving range and charging information as of now. However, it quoted the top speed as 100 kmph.

As for reference, the Mini EV offers a 120 km range with a 9.3-kWh battery pack and 170 km with a bigger 13.9-kWh unit.

Interior

Inside the cabin, the Chinese EV is expected to feature a digital instrument cluster, an in-car entertainment system (with Bluetooth connectivity), air-conditioning, keyless entry, telematics, and more.

Price

In the home market, the Wuling Air EV price starts at just under 55,000 yuan (approximately equal to RM 36,569) for the SWB version and goes all the way up to 65,000 for the LWB (RM 43,218).

That's all we know about this cool-looking little EV at the moment. So, do you think Wuling electric cars will come to Malaysia or not? And if they come, will they get the same popularity and success as in the home market? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

Source: CarNewsChina

Also read: Malaysia-bound Smart #1 EV: What do we know so far?