For those of you who don’t follow the Chinese vehicle market, there’s been a recent sales sensation: The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV. This small, cheap, basic car has become the best-selling electric vehicle in China, moving over a million units and spurring competitors to introduce their own similar cars. They’re roughly A-Segment/Kei-sized, small and cute - and that’s what this challenge is all about. Let’s start by taking a look at some pictures of the Wuling and its imitators:
Gallery
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV - base model
Hongguang Mini EV Macaron - Facelift Version
Chery QQ Ice Cream
Fengon Mini EV
Geely Panda Mini EV
BAW Change Mini EV, aka BAW Yuanbao
Citroen Ami (the modern electric one. Not the same vibe but viable)
I initially came across the Wuling in Forza Horizon 5, and I just like the car. I wish that western manufacturers were making cars like it - small, cheap, budget options for EVs. Not as budget as the Wuling, mind you - the lack of safety features is a personal deal breaker, for one - but budget and small. Sadly, there isn’t really a western answer to it for various reasons. It’s a weird regional market segment that only really exists in one place and is hard for me to see or understand here in the west. That makes it a fun little challenge to run - and it’ll be a whole lot easier and more straight-forward than the one I just got done with, so here we go.
RULES
Engineering will not be judged, because EV. Accordingly, stuff like year, techpool and such is free.
Name your model and engine family MEDC - YourForumName
Designs should be realistically viable for sale in some market for 2020-2025. Wipers, lights, door handles, etc.
Advanced trim settings, 3D and all other techniques are completely free, as is body choice - with a caveat that not all bodies are equally viable.
That’s it, pretty simple rules, right?
JUDGING CRITERIA
Several things will be taken into account for judging. These include (but may not be limited to):
Good looks. I’m expecting cars that have a cute factor or that feel approachable, but you can potentially do well by finding another approach. This includes overall detail - note that all the shown examples feature a sizeable amount of molding, character lines and inserts.
Innovation and “EV-ness”. You don’t need a big grille to cool these, you can get away with simple panelling on the front, or do something a little weirder too. If they feel like weird little EVs, that’s a plus.
Compactness. Many of these cars are boxy, for good reason - it allows them to keep a low footprint (good for price and range) but a high internal volume. You don’t have to pass the official Kei dimensions, but you should be close to them and use your space well.
Interior space efficiency. Interiors are optional, but showing how you can fit four or five people in your car will be appreciated. If you can have a full complement of seats and good ergonomics, it will be appreciated. Having 2 rows of seats is desirable but not mandatory - a car with only 2 seats isn’t offering as much with its limited space.
TIMELINE
The rules and brief will be subject to change until 2024-07-23T23:59:00Z. Entries will be open until 2024-08-06T23:59:00Z
It’ll be via dummies, and overall vibe in cases with no interior.
If you look at the gallery of Chinese cars (Which is weirdly shrunk? Not sure why and can’t fix it.), you can see that there’s a fairly small area behind the door, which is where the rear seats usually just barely fit. The C-Pod is a decent amount too small, and can’t fit 4 seats.
The Betterdeals is a great example of a car which does poorly on this metric, due to how it uses its interior space (and how it deliberately constrains it!)
all the cargo room you could need in the compact market.
MSRP $45,000
** range shown is in ECO mode and accessories off, Dreadnaught mode range is 50miles.
*** Speed and acceleration times shown are in Dreadnaught mode and do not reflect times in ECO mode
Entry cancled and replaced with better fit.
.car file below if anyone wants to play with a weird Kei car. Nikola_-__Atom.car (38.4 KB)
Trying to fill the market gap created by the jump in size of the formerly small Zora for its Mk4 evolution, the Skuter was Mara’s first attempt to compete in the small EV citycar market.
The car was developed as part of a wider EV mobility scheme in the late 2010s in Archana to enhance transportation within and between the bigger cities in the Archanan basin especially in the eastern part around Lake Mara (as the infrastructure and distances in the rural areas were deemed to be unsuitable for EVs). Oh, and it’s green.
As a bonus, the Skuter was also available as small EV panel van for those inner city deliveries.
Heya, just a PSA - most challenges expect the .car to be DMed to the host, makes it easier to manage. I’ve grabbed your car, but it’s something to bear in mind for future challenge entries.
Coming in 2025, the brand new Minivan+ has everything you’d expect from a citycar.
With a stainless steel chassis, you will not need to maintain this vehicle every 10 years because of the rust. With an autonomy of 230km, you can go everywhere you want waiting only 1 hour and 5 minutes for it to be fully charged again!
