SAIC-GM-Wuling has unveiled the fifth generation of its iconic Hongguang Mini EV, the lilliputian electric car that has sold more than 1.8 million units since its 2020 debut. The update brings retro-inspired styling cues and a clear signal that the tiny EV’s remarkable run is far from over.
The numbers are staggering. The Hongguang Mini EV family shifted 435,598 units last year alone, lifting cumulative sales past the 1.8 million mark.
That makes it not only China’s best-selling new-energy vehicle in the microclass, a title it has held for 65 consecutive months, but arguably the most commercially successful single EV nameplate in the world. The reason you know the Tesla Model Y and not the Hongguang is that it’s not available outside China and is difficult to pronounce.
When Wuling launched the original Mini EV at a starting price below €4,500, it rewrote the rules of what electric mobility could look like. It proved that the EV revolution did not have to start in the premium segment.
Instead, it could spark in a parking space barely three meters long, appealing in the congested side streets of China’s dense and overpopulated cities.
What’s new?
Generation five builds upon that popular DNA, but unifies the design across both the two-door and four-door body styles for the first time. The most striking change: retro-inspired circular headlights and taillights connected by a full-width LED light strip, complemented by a contrasting black floating roof.
Wuling calls it the “sweet cube” design language. To translate that code, it means softening boxy proportions by rounded elements that give the car a distinctly toy-like, endearing character.
The Mini EV also takes a page from its German namesake’s playbook. Three new retro colors – green, white, and gray – are paired with that black roof to create two-tone combinations clearly aimed at younger urban buyers. Newly designed clover-shaped wheels further differentiate the model from its predecessors.
Smaller pack than in a PHEV
The footprint stays tiny. The four-door version measures 3,268 mm long, 1,520 mm wide, and 1,575 mm tall, on a wheelbase of 2,190 mm. The two-door measures 3,043 mm in length with a 1,965 mm wheelbase.
Under the skin, the powertrain carries over from the previous generation: rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motors ranging from 15 to 30 kW (20-40 hp), paired with lithium-ion batteries of 9.2, 13.8, or 26 kWh.
Bar the third, that’s less than in today’s PHEVs. They cover a range of 120 to 280 km. It seems low, but it’s actually perfectly adequate for the short urban commutes the car is designed for. Don’t get too ambitious with the top speed, though. At 100 km/h, it’s over and out.
Still shockingly cheap
Pricing for the fifth generation has not been officially announced, but the current generation gives a strong indication of where it will land. The four-door version starts at RMB 44,800 (roughly €5,900), with the two-door starting at an even more remarkable RMB 32,800 (about €4,300).
The two-door costs less than many premium European e-bikes. For context: hypothetically, if exported to Europe, the price would triple and settle at least at 12,000 euros.
Rising competition
When the Mini EV first appeared, it had the ultra-affordable micro EV segment virtually to itself. That is no longer the case. Rivals like the Chery QQ Ice Cream, the Geely Panda Mini EV, and even the Smurf-branded micro EV from Geely’s Livan subsidiary have carved out their own niches.
Yet none of them have come close to dethroning the Mini EV. Its brand recognition among Chinese consumers is so deeply embedded that Wuling can afford to iterate rather than reinvent. Polishing the formula with each update seems to suffice, while competitors scramble to match its combination of price, practicality, and personality.
Any significance beyond China?
The Hongguang Mini EV does not, and almost certainly never will, come to Europe despite a new regulatory framework on small EVs in the making. It is not designed to meet European crash-test standards, highway speeds, or consumer expectations for range or charging infrastructure.
But it matters as a proof point: no other car so courageously demonstrates that electric mobility can be democratized at price points that make ICE vehicles look expensive by comparison. It shows that the transition does not require government subsidies to succeed.
