The Wuling Mini EV Cabrio is in a big buzz in China. Everyone seems to love the little convertible and why not? It is probably the coolest Chinese car ever, and that’s not easy, packing a lot of pretty and power for the money.
The Wuling Mini EV Cabrio is a full electric two-door two-seat cabriolet, aimed at young folks living in sunny places. It is based on the famous Wuling Mini EV hatchback, a car that comes in more versions than one can count, with its own ice cream. The hatchback has two small seats in the back. The Cabrio uses this space to store the convertible roof.
The A-pillar is painted in matte gray. Behind the seats are roll bars for extra protection, and they look cool too. The EV Cabrio comes in only three colors: Sea Blue, Emerald, and Modern Black.
The convertible roof is standard black or optional red. It is an excellent design, making the change from hatchback to cabriolet without any problem. It almost seems as if the Mini EV was designed as a convertible from the get-go.
The interior has the same overall design as the hatchback but trim differs. Wuling keeps it simple and offers only two interior colors: red and white (car on pics). The color scheme covers the seats, doors, dash, and center tunnel. The simplicity of the place makes it even cooler, with a small screen and a beautiful perfectly round steering wheel. The dashboard has three round dials and an old-school LED display.
The pedals have – and +, so as long as you look at your feet you will remember which pedal to use when.
The screen may be small but the graphics are top notch, with an image of the Cabrio in the middle.
The only thing on the center tunnel is this crafty drive selector. What more do you need?
It has an extra storage space behind the seats.
The Wuling Mini EV Cabrio will launch on the Chinese car market on September 9. Customers can reserve the Cabrio right now or join a lottery to win one. Final pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but estimates are that the Cabrio will be about 10.000 yuan more expensive than the hatchback. This would translate to about 79.800 yuan (11.600 USD). Wuling claims it has booked 113.000 reservations as of September 6. However, these reservations commit to nothing and should not be confused with actual sales.
The Wuling Mini EV Cabrio is a small car: 3059/1521/1614, with a 2010 wheelbase. The spec are comparable with the top-end Mini EV hatchback. The electric motor has an output of 30 kW (41 hp) and 110 Nm. Top speed is 100 kilometers per hour. The battery has a size of 26.5 kWh, good for a 280 kilometer CLTC range. This is 20 kilometers less range than the hatchback with the same battery.
The rear with a black bar with WULING script between the X-shaped lights.
The Wuling Mini EV Cabrio is manufactured by SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), a joint venture between SAIC Motor, General Motors, and the original Liuzhou Wuling Motors. The Chinese name is 上汽通用五菱 (Shàngqì Tōngyòng Wǔlíng).
Whether Wuling will export the Mini EV Cabrio is yet unknown, but there sure is a lot of interest outside of China in this tiny cabriolet.
Further reading: Autohome.
