When it comes to electric cars, big may not always be better. Little wonder then that the small Hongguang MINI EV is one of the best-selling electric vehicles in China, the world’s largest car market where Tesla cars have the bragging rights when it comes to power battery.
Tesla has a major leadership in the world of personal electric moving and has found a strong foothold in China as well. The Model 3 is a hot sale and distributed model out of its facility in Shanghai, the first company outside the US. But while a cult follows Tesla and the Model 3 is thousands ’favorite EV choice, Hongguang MINI is looking up, star-studded and now punching hard.
Hongguang MINI hardly has the specifications, or the appearance, to take on a powerful Tesla. With a maximum application range of 170 kilometers and a proven range of just 120 kilometers, this EV will not survive the distance on a highway escape. With a 13 kWh battery pack, charging it back to full is a quick exercise but there’s not much room to write a cabin home about it.
The Hongguang MINI measures 2,917 mm in length, 1,492 mm in width and has a height of 1,621 mm. For reference purposes only, the Alto in India is 3,455 mm long, 1,515 mm wide and 1,475 mm high.
But perhaps the biggest strength of this EV is the price point at which it is offered at. The Hongguang MINI is available in the Chinese market for between 28,800 Yuan and 38,800 Yuan. This varies to around $ 4,112 and $ 5,540 or ₹3 lakh and ₹4 lakh. Even in a market like China where there are several options when it comes to battery powered vehicles, this price point makes Hongguang MINI a very strong product. In January alone, 36,000 units of the EV were sold in the country, significantly higher than the 13,000 Model 3 units sold. “There are a lot of customers who don’t need anything, travel is what they ask for from a car,” said Yale Zhang, founder of AutoForesight, a Shanghai-based consulting firm. MINI EV. “
Tesla may still be the undisputed champion with its products selling more over a longer period of time but Hongguang MINI’s retail performance shows that a relatively cheap price point could determine what happens to EVs, especially in large markets.