Wuling is a Chinese car firm you’re probably not too familiar with. It was founded in 2007 in the city of Liuzhou, near the border with Vietnam. But you will know the others involved in the joint venture that builds the Mini EV: General Motors has a 44% share and MG parent firm SAIC 50.1%, with Wuling the remaining 5.9%.
According to an IANS report, Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV has overtaken Tesla’s Model 3 as the top-selling electric vehicle in the world in January and February. According to The Verge, more than 36,000 of the tiny cars were sold in January compared to nearly 21,500 Model 3s, and the Hong Guang sold just more than 20,000 units in February compared to just under 13,700 Tesla 3s.
Exterior specifications of Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV
This Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV car is 2917 mm long, 1493 m wide, and 1621 mm in height with a wheelbase of 1940 mm. A dual waistline along with obvious arches for the 12 inches wheels accent very boxy looks. Its curb weight is around 665 kg. The ground clearance offered is 125 mm. it has halogen headlamps and halogen bulbs in indicators and rear lights. The overall looks of the car seem to be very simple and boxy. At the very first look, the car also looks small than usual cars. The colors are Avocado Green, Lemon Yellow, and White Peach Pink, which are the results of the collaboration of Wuling and Pantone Universe
Interior specifications of Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV
The interior is utilitarian at best and its plastics have the tactility of an emery board. Still, splashes of color matching the body color around the radio controls, door pulls, and passenger cupholder jazz up the interior. A digital dial screen is the only real concession to modern technology and shows driving data such as speed and range along with a nice graphical rendition of the car, plus it acts as the reversing camera’s display. The controls for the electric windows are located on the center console, next to the drive selector knob. There’s no Park setting, though: the handbrake is the only way to hold the Mini EV. Once in the driver’s seat, you immediately notice two issues. First, the driving position is very high and the seats are non-height-adjustable. Second, the is offset to the center.
Motor, Modes, and The top speed in Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV
The electric motor that comes in this Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV is 20 kW. Surprisingly, the EV has a selector button hidden behind the steering wheel that lets you choose between Eco and Sport modes. Powering the rear wheels is an electric motor delivering 27 hp of power and 85 Nm of torque. Sport seems to be the better of the two modes, providing not only slightly smarter acceleration but also more noticeable braking regeneration.
The Mini EV has a top speed of 62mph, and on an expressway, we managed to reach just over 50mph – an experience that was much less unnerving than expected.
Tires, brakes, and suspension
145/70R12 With such small tires, any potholes you encounter are keenly felt in the cabin. The front brake is a disk brake and the rear one is a drum brake. Aluminum Alloy is also offered in this EV. No spare tire is given as well. The front suspension is McPherson and the rear one is Multi-link dependent type.
Battery in Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV
There’s a choice of a 9.3kWh or 13.8kWh battery pack. However, with only a slow charger interface, refilling the latter takes nine hours.
Safety features in Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV
At least there are some concessions to safety: while the original Mini EVs featured little more than the steel body cage, anti-lock brakes, and Isofix anchors for child seats, the Macaron adds a driver’s airbag.
Driving Experience in Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV
The Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV car measures a diminutive 2920mm yet four adults can fit in without too much contortion. Mind you, access to the back is predictably quite tight from both sides, and once you’ve squeezed yourself in there, legroom is minimal. And the lack of rear headrests would make anything but short journeys tiring on the neck. The boot is almost non-existent when the seats are up: at best, you might be able to fit in one very thin painting. Charging cables fill up the space at the bottom of the boot. If you need a bit more capacity, the back seats simply push down and pull up via a strap. Similar clues to the budget nature of the build quality are shown in areas such as a simple bare screw attaching the door pulls in the front. Although not as uncomfortable as first expected, the offset pedal position gets tiring after an hour.
The steering is imprecise and when cornering at over 30mph you feel as if you’re fighting the car’s inertia. On the plus side, given the sub-two-meter wheelbase, the turning circle is incredibly tight.
Conclusion
It would be easy to compare the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV unfairly with pricier and better-equipped cars. You must appreciate that for many buyers, this will be their first car or their only option, and it’s infinitely safer than piling a family onto a motorbike or electric scooter. all we can say is this EV has every right to be on the top of the affordable EVs list.
