The equivalent of 4,300 euros for a new electric car? This is what Wuling Hongguang offers in China with its Mini EV. But it was obviously still a little too much for the Asian firm which practically halved the entry price of its car. But how did they achieve this new tour de force? By copying what Renault was doing a few years ago with its Zoé.
The car presented above, you may have already seen it in Europe, and that’s normal, since it is marketed on the Old Continent under the name of Freze Nikrob.
It is the exact copy of the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, one of the best-selling electric cars in the world. This model could also arrive soon in France.
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV in a few figures
With us, the city car is available in two versions, namely Standard and Long Range. The car displays contained dimensions, with a length of 2.92 and 3.06 meters respectively. Four people can take place on board, in a very basic cabin, as you can imagine.
The entry-level version boasts 40 horsepower, while the Long Range version has 43 horsepower. The first is content with a 13.8 kWh battery, allowing it to travel up to 200 kilometers in a single charge according to the WLTP cycle, the second benefits from a 26.5 kWh accumulator. Autonomy then goes to 300 kilometers.
It is already possible to pre-order a copy of this Freze Nikrob, for 13,000 euros on the brand’s website, ecological bonus deducted. But Numerama has a reliable source that the starting price will be 11,900 euros, taking into account the bonus.
A well-known sleight of hand in Europe
Here is another good example that Chinese cars are much more expensive in Europe than on their local market, and we have also recently produced an explanatory file on this phenomenon.
In China, the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is the most affordable electric car in the Chinese market with a base price equivalent to 4,300 euros. But the manufacturer has managed to offer it at an even more affordable price by almost dividing the price by two as revealed by the media. IT Home.
The base price has therefore recently passed at only the equivalent of 2,600 eurossimply by removing the most expensive component of the car from the price, namely the battery. But what to do with an electric car without a battery? This is where Chinese manufacturers continue to take inspiration from Europeans, even for the worst ideas.
Indeed, as for a Renault Zoé at the time or, more recently, the new VinFast SUVs, the 1,700 euros difference between the old price and the new one are transformed into a five-year battery rental contract with a monthly payment of 26.10 euros, plus a final settlement of 261 euros.
The small difference with the battery rental formula in France is that the Chinese customer becomes the owner at the end of the contract. It’s sort of a kind of LOA.
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