Wuling Hongguang Mini EV

The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a Chinese battery-electric city car built by SAIC-GM-Wuling, a joint venture among SAIC Motor, General Motors and Guangxi Automobile Group, introduced in 2020 as a minimal, low-cost electric vehicle aimed at short urban trips rather than as a competitor to larger, longer-range electric cars. Built deliberately small and simple, with a modest range and top speed but a price far below that of most other electric vehicles sold anywhere in the world, the Hongguang Mini EV became a sales phenomenon in China, briefly outselling every other electric car model in the country, including Tesla's Model 3, within roughly a year of its launch. Its success demonstrated a distinct path to electric vehicle adoption built around affordability and minimalism rather than range and performance, prompting other manufacturers to develop similarly priced micro electric cars for the Chinese and other markets.