Since its debut in Vietnam in June 2023, the Wuling Mini EV electric car has attracted much attention from domestic consumers due to its starting price being the cheapest in the market, along with a design style that can be considered “unique and strange”.
Recently, the online community was abuzz when it discovered that a transportation service business in Phu Yen has decided to put this car model into service as a taxi.
It is known that from mid-April 2024, this company has posted job vacancies for drivers, accountants and call center staff. Commenting on the above information, many people predict that this car model will be suitable for tourist spots, sightseeing or moving in the city center.
Despite being of interest to many people, the sales of this car model have not been impressive.
Specifically, data disclosed from the business production and operation report serving the annual shareholders’ meeting of TMT Motors – the distributor of Wuling cars in Vietnam shows that by the end of 2023, this business sold only 591 electric vehicles of the Wuling Mini EV model to the market.
Meanwhile, the sales target set by TMT Motors in the initial stage for this small electric car model was 5,525 units, an average of nearly 1,000 units sold per month. However, the actual sales achieved were only 100 units per month, equivalent to about 10%.
It can be seen that despite the starting price of only over 200 million VND, lower than A-class cars like Hyundai Grand i10 or Kia Morning, the Wuling Mini EV still finds it difficult to convince the majority of Vietnamese customers. The reason is usually the small size and the rather cramped space inside.
Next is the short travel distance of the car, which is not suitable for highway or suburban travel. At the same time, the distributor of Wuling in Vietnam currently does not have a system of public charging stations or fast chargers. Therefore, this is a very big inconvenience for users in case of forgetting to charge or in emergencies.
Wuling Mini EV has a weak engine, equipped with only one motor with a capacity of 17.4 horsepower, which is only slightly more powerful than the capacity of the Honda Sh150i motorbike (16.9 horsepower). Therefore, the car can travel a maximum of 100km/h, but in reality, the optimum speed reaches only about 60 – 80km/h even though it has an operating range of 120km on a single charge for the standard version.
In addition, the safety features of the Wuling Mini EV are very limited and only at the minimum level. The car is only equipped with ABS anti-lock brakes, EBD electronic brake force distribution, 1 airbag for the driver (high-end version). In addition, the car is not equipped with an electronic balance system, so when running at high speeds it is very easy to lose stability, especially when braking, steering sharply.
In particular, many experts believe that the change in demand and tastes in car use is also a part of the reason for the lackluster business results of the Wuling Mini EV.
Accordingly, in recent years, Vietnamese people in general have bought cars with more criteria, instead of simply being a compact four-wheeled vehicle that can “protect from the sun and rain” as in the previous period. This is clearly reflected in the sales results announced by the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) and car distribution units in recent months.
