The best-selling car worldwide, Chinese model still suffers a disastrous failure in Vietnam: What is the reason?

The Wuling Mini EV, a small electric car, has maintained its position as the best-selling model in its segment since its debut in 2020 worldwide.

As of now, after 4 consecutive years (2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023), the Wuling Mini EV continues to dominate the market with impressive sales. According to Dân trí, with data from EV Volumes, a global electric vehicle information platform published by Clean Technica, the Wuling Mini EV has sold 237,919 units in 2023.

JATO Dynamics, a global automotive market research company, has also confirmed that in the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, this model has been the top-selling electric mini car. Notably, the Wuling Mini EV has set a sales record in the Chinese market, with 1,800 units sold per day, equivalent to a transaction every 20 seconds.

As of now, the cumulative sales of the Wuling Mini EV have exceeded 1.2 million units worldwide.

What does the Wuling Mini EV have to offer?

With dimensions of 2,971 x 1,943 x 1,621 mm and a wheelbase of 1,940 mm, the Wuling Mini EV can still accommodate 4 adults comfortably with fully equipped seat belts.

In terms of safety, the Wuling Mini EV is equipped with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), tire pressure sensors, and even rear obstacle sensors when reversing.

However, in terms of engine power, Wuling only equips it with a motor with a power output of 17.4 horsepower, slightly higher than the power output of a Honda Sh150i scooter (16.9 horsepower).

The car can reach a maximum speed of 100 km/h, but in reality, the optimal speed is around 60-80 km/h, with a range of 120 km on a single charge.

The car does not have interior rearview mirrors or a central control panel, only a 7-inch LCD digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, displaying the battery level, range, gears, etc.; the air conditioning and audio control knobs are arranged on the dashboard surface. All features in the car are manually adjustable.

Continuous price reductions but still sluggish in Vietnam

The Wuling Mini EV has been available for sale in Vietnam since June 2023, with a price range announced at that time from 239-279 million VND, which consumers at the time deemed too high. This forced the assembly and distribution unit to continuously adjust the selling price to make it more accessible to customers. By March 2024, the price of the car had been reduced by 40 million VND compared to the initial price, bringing the lowest price below 200 million VND.

However, this move has not gained the trust of Vietnamese consumers, as evidenced by the fact that more than half a year after its launch, very few people have seen this car on the road.

The Wuling Hongguang MiniEV electric car has several limitations that have made consumers hesitant, such as:

First, it is smaller in size compared to A-segment models, which makes the interior space cramped. Although the car is designed for 4 seats, the rear seats of the Wuling Mini EV are quite tight due to the limited length of the car and wheelbase.

Next is the limited driving range of the car, which is not suitable for highway or suburban travel. Along with that, Wuling’s distributor in Vietnam still does not have a public charging station system or a fast charging system. Therefore, this is a major drawback for users in cases of forgetting to charge or emergencies.

The Wuling Mini EV has a weak engine, with only a motor with a power output of 17.4 horsepower, slightly higher than the power output of a Honda Sh150i scooter (16.9 horsepower). As a result, the car can reach a maximum speed of 100 km/h, but in reality, the optimal speed is around 60-80 km/h, although it has a range of 120 km on a single charge for the standard version.

Moreover, the accompanying safety equipment of the Wuling Mini EV is very limited and only at the minimal level. The car is only equipped with ABS, Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and 1 airbag for the driver (in the high-end version). Additionally, the car is not equipped with an Electronic Stability Control system, so it is prone to instability at high speeds, especially during braking and sudden steering.

Another factor is the skepticism about the low price tag among a portion of the population. In reality, cheap Chinese cars have been in Vietnam for two decades, but they have not been truly successful. Previous models such as Lifan 520, Chery QQ3, BYD F0… were launched with much lower prices compared to locally assembled or imported cars from the US or South Korea, but they disappeared after just a few years.