Affordable Wuling Nano EV coming to market in China

Wuling Motors already has a three-door Mini EV on its lineup, but the new Nano EV is shaping up to be even smaller and wallet-friendlier.

The electric supermini shares its underpinnings with the Baojun E200 compact car introduced three years ago (see the video). Wuling and Baojun are both brands under control of the SAIC-GM-Wuling conglomerate (SGMW for short), so this is not surprising.

Compared to the E200 it is based upon, the Nano EV comes in four new exterior colors, a redesigned front bumper, and an LED DRL stripe above the headlights. Its badge being silver denotes that Wuling plans to ship it to other markets as well.

The car is 2,500 mm (8.2 feet) long, 1,526 mm (5 feet) wide, 1,616 mm (5.3 feet) tall and has 1,600 mm (5.25 feet) of space between the axles. It uses 145/70 R12 tires and weighs 850 kilograms (1,874 pounds).

The interior remains to be revealed. The Baojun E200 uses a seven-inch display as its instrument gauge cluster and has a touch-based HVAC panel to the right of the steering wheel. The seats come with integrated headrests.

Powering the original is an electric motor rated at 39 PS (38 hp / 29 kW) and 110 Nm (81 lb-ft). The Nano EV has even less power at 33 PS (33 hp / 24 kW). Both are FWD and limited to 100 km/h (62 mph).

Price is the one area where the Nano EV should outshine the competition. The current E200 model costs between 54,800 and 64,800 Yuan in China, or $8,400 - $9,935 USD at current conversion rates; the Nano EV will be even cheaper than that.