This Chinese electric car model is thought to be "unpopular" but still sells better than Kia Morning

(Dan Tri) - Sales of Wuling Mini EV in our country have not exploded, not created a "fever" but still have a certain number of users and attract more customers than some famous A-class cars.

Since its launch in Vietnam in mid-2023, Wuling Mini EV has not had its monthly sales announced by TMT Motors. Therefore, it is not easy to analyze and evaluate the appeal of this Chinese car model.

Looking at user reactions, some customers have not yet put their trust in Mini EV, because Wuling is still a new brand. Another reason is its Chinese origin (it has a joint venture with the American brand GM), plus TMT Motors is also a "newbie" in the car segment.

However, data provided internally shows that Wuling Mini EV is not as "unsold" as some rumors have speculated.

Wuling Mini EV is assembled in Vietnam, priced at 239-279 million VND when it was first launched, the cheapest car in our country at that time (Photo: Nguyen Lam).

According to a Dan Tri reporter, Wuling Mini EV sold a total of 731 cars in the first 9 months of 2024. This number cannot be compared to "hot" products on the market, but still sells better than an "old" A-class car like Kia Morning (551 cars).

In the first 3 quarters of the year, Mini EV sold 293, 256 and 182 cars respectively. Notably, in early August, Wuling Mini EV was reduced by 48-58 million VND, bringing the price to 197 million and 231 million VND for 2 LV2 versions (2 standard LV1 versions are out of stock).

Wuling Mini EV does not have a central screen, users can only entertain themselves by listening to music via radio or bluetooth connection. On the standard version, the car only has 1 speaker (Photo: Nguyen Lam).

Thus, it can be seen that Wuling Mini EV still has a fairly stable customer base. With its compact size and maximum range of 120-170km depending on the version, this model is suitable for urban needs and short-distance travel. The trade-off is that the cabin is not spacious, and the 2-door design causes certain inconveniences.

In addition, TMT Motors has not developed its own charging station system, so Wuling Mini EV users will be completely dependent on charging their cars at home. This Chinese electric car model does not have a fast charging support feature.

When plugged in at home, the Wuling Mini EV takes 7-9 hours to fully charge, depending on the battery version (Photo: Nguyen Lam).

In the near future, the Wuling brand will have a new product in Vietnam, Bingo. The car has the same size as a class A car with a 4-door design. The car's equipment is also more complete than its "younger brother" but the price will not be as cheap as the Mini EV, the standard version is expected to be in the range of 400-500 million VND.

Wuling Bingo is considered a direct competitor of the A-class electric car line, alongside gasoline cars of the same size such as Hyundai Grand i10, Toyota Wigo or Kia Morning (Ho Sy Quang).

A source from Dan Tri newspaper said that Wuling Bingo will have at least 2 commercial versions in Vietnam, both equipped with an electric motor with a capacity of 50kW (equivalent to about 67 horsepower). However, the torque is different: 150Nm in the low version and 125Nm in the high version.

These two variants use LFP batteries with capacities of 31.9kWh and 37.9kWh respectively, supporting fast charging of 30-80% of the battery in about 30 minutes, with maximum operating ranges of 333km and 410km respectively. In addition, the company may launch a taxi version according to business orders.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/o-to-xe-may/mau-xe-dien-trung-quoc-nay-tuong-e-nhung-van-ban-chay-hon-kia-morning-20241030105339849.htm