The GM’s Chinese joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) released the Wuling Zhiguang EV kei car designed for private and commercial commutes. It is a compact 3.6-meter car with rear sliding doors, four seats, a 30-kW e-motor, and a 17.6 kWh LFP battery pack. It will enter the market shortly.
Wuling is the third most popular domestic car brand in China. Its major sales driver is the Hongguang Mini EV two-door city car. Wuling’s cumulative sales volume from January to October 2024 reached 685,744 units. Now, Wuling has released its newest product, which aims at both private and commercial markets. It is the Zhiguang EV. In the future, it will adopt the battery swap technology from CATL.
More about Wuling Zhiguang EV
Wuling officials and Chinese media call the Zhiguang EV a kei car. However, its body length is over the standard Japanese standard for such vehicles, so the Zhiguang EV is just styled as a kei car. It adopts a boxy body shape with rear sliding doors, small 13-inch rims, and small overhangs. The exact dimensions of the Zhiguang EV are 3685/1530/1750 mm, with a remarkable wheelbase of 2600 mm.
The interior of the Wuling Zhiguang EV is as basic as possible. It has gray plastic all over the cabin. The metal frames of the doors are partly exposed. The roof and pillars of the Zhiguang EV are also made of exposed metal. The car’s center console has a single LCD instrument panel, and physical controls for the AC and music adjustments. The Zhiguang EV has a two-spoke steering wheel with no buttons. The center tunnel adopts a rotary gear shifter, power window buttons, and a handbrake.
The second row of the Zhigung EV is even more basic. It has a bench for two people (without headrests!) that can be folded into a flat floor. The car’s doors have manual windows. Again, we see lots of bare metal surfaces. The Zhiguang EV offers only the features that you need most.
Wuling Zhiguang EV specs
The Wulign Zhiguang EV is light. Its curb weight reaches 892 kg, 193 kg less than the Smart Fortwo EQ. It is an understandable number, bearing in mind how basic this car is. The Zhiguang EV equips a 17.6-kWh LFP battery pack from Gotion or RSPK manufacturers. It powers a single TZ155XZ230 electric motor in the rear axle for 30 kW (40 hp). The Zhiguang’s top speed is 100 km/h.
In the future, the Zhiguang EV will become compatible with the CATL’s Evogo battery swap network. It will actually upgrade the car’s battery since Evogo works with scalable Choco-SEB packs. They adopt the cell-to-pack technology with an energy density of 160 Wh/kg. A single Choco-SEB block has a capacity of 26.5 kWh, suitable for a range of 200 km.
The Wuling Zhiguang EV will enter the Chinese market soon. Its price tag has yet to be revealed. It will probably become a bit more expensive than the smaller Hongguang Mini EV. We expect its price to start at around 50,000 yuan (6,900 USD).
