New energy vehicles rise in 2021

2021 can be called the year of the rise of new energy vehicles. While new energy vehicles are penetrating the automobile market, we have also found a group of “dark horses” – pure electric micro cars – that have emerged in the niche market.

With the transformation of automobile electrification and the high demand of consumers for automobiles, these factors have directly spurred the development of the micro car market, and at the same time gradually reversed consumers’ traditional concepts of automobiles. Looking at the sales of pure electric micro cars this year, micro cars that can meet the conditions of daily commuting, short-range travel, and low vehicle operating costs are extremely popular.

Led by the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, the entire micro car team dominates the market share of new energy vehicles. In addition to the exceptional performance of the Hongguang MINIEV, the sales performance of other micro cars is also impressive. This means that most people have tasted the sweetness brought by micro cars. “Being inexpensive, easy to park, and exempt from license plate lottery” has become a “must-buy condition” for first-tier cities.

However, while micro cars are exploding in popularity, fish and dragons are mixed, and some people say that they are not willing to buy some unsafe and incomplete cars just for the sake of being cheap, and it’s better not to buy them if they are used uncomfortably.

In fact, car manufacturers that make micro cars are not just pursuing cheapness blindly. In this era when people don’t compromise, buying better quality things for themselves is a kind of attitude towards life, and choosing a favorite micro car is also a part of it. So, let’s take a look at which micro cars between 50,000-100,000 RMB can be considered as high-quality products.

Euler Cat, Little Wildcat Version

• Price: 75,800 – 84,800 RMB (Little Wildcat version)
• NEDC Range: 360/401 km

As a facelifted model, the Euler Cat Little Wildcat version has two range versions, with pre-sale prices of 79,800 RMB and 88,800 RMB, respectively, and was officially launched on August 14th. The main changes of the new car are the addition of new design elements to the exterior and interior, making it more individualized and enhancing the interior texture. The power aspect remains the same as the Euler Cat, with NEDC ranges of 360 km and 401 km, respectively.

In terms of appearance, the design of the eQingCat is based on a large amount of real market research and feedback from existing users by the Euler team. While following the family design, many decorative elements have been added, giving the car a style reminiscent of factory modified electric cars. The gray and gold color scheme of the car paint is a major highlight, giving it a great texture. The front of the car uses a closed grid with a decorative piece in the shape of an hourglass to form a lattice-like arrangement, complemented by rectangular headlights on either side and the Euler logo, making it very lively and cute.

On the side of the car body, the eQingCat retains the relatively simple and cute design of the current model. The surface of the A-pillar is painted in glossy black, creating a floating roof effect from the front. Additionally, rose gold trim is used on the side skirt and mirror, together with flared wheel arches and petal-style aerodynamic low-resistance wheels, creating a trendy and individualistic style. The car’s dimensions are 3621/1660/1520 mm for length, width, and height, respectively, with a wheelbase of 2490 mm.

At the rear of the car, a large rose gold air deflector has been added, giving it a modified car feel, and through the glass tailgate are embedded continuous taillights, with the rear bumper similarly designed to match the front, enhancing the car’s visibility.

Internally, the black-and-white dual-tone interior exudes greater quality, enhanced by details such as piano lacquer panels and chrome trim. High-end models also feature a black and gold color scheme, and the details have been upgraded to an imitation suede soft material, significantly improving the car’s grade. The central control panel uses an integrated screen design that creates a strong sense of technology, supporting mainstream features such as remote control, mobile connectivity, voice recognition, and vehicle networking and OTA upgrades.

On the configuration front, there is equipment such as active braking/active safety systems, lane departure warning systems, road traffic sign recognition, cruise control, 360-degree panoramic imaging, wireless smartphone charging, and heated front seats, among other technological comforts.Power-wise, the new Ora White Cat Young Leopard Edition offers two options: the base model has a maximum power of 48 horsepower, peak torque of 125 N・m, and NEDC range of 360 km; while the high-end model has a maximum power of 61 horsepower, peak torque of 130 N・m, and NEDC range of 401 km.

Baojun KiWi EV

• Price: RMB 69,800 – 78,800
• NEDC range: 305 km

On August 31st, the Baojun KiWi EV was officially launched, with two models available: Designer Edition and Artist Edition, priced between RMB 69,800 and 78,800.

In terms of appearance, the unique “concave” design below the front headlight group enhances the floating feeling of the body and highlights the sci-fi fashion sense. The new car also offers six colors to choose from: blue sky, emerald green, starry night, mint, cream, and rouge, all adopting bold and eye-catching color schemes to meet the needs of young people to showcase their individuality.

Looking at the side, although the car body length is less than 3 meters, thanks to the four-wheel-four-corner design, the interior space can still accommodate four seats. The roof is as flat as possible all the way to the rear of the car, leaving as much headroom as possible for the second row of passengers. The dual-color body adopts a bold collision color design, creating the effect of a suspended cockpit and making it highly recognizable.

In terms of the tail, its overall shape echoes the front of the car, with a design that emphasizes rounded rectangles and highlights the sci-fi feel of the whole vehicle.

As for the interior, the new car offers a combination of deep cool gray and charcoal black/rose gold, with the former being warmer and the latter more textured. The layout of the center console maximizes space for passengers, and since the body is small, the center console LCD screen and the instrument panel LCD screen are merged into one, slightly protruding on the driver’s side and with a larger concave on the passenger side to provide more spacious legroom.

In terms of safety configuration, KiWi EV is equipped with practical configurations such as front dual airbags, ESC body stability system, and ABS+EBD anti-lock & brake force distribution system across the entire series. The advanced “Artist” Intelligent Driving Package also has multiple advanced active safety technologies such as AEB automatic emergency braking system and 360 panoramic imaging. Additionally, KiWi EV uses more than 1,500 megapascals of high-strength hot-formed steel in eight areas for the main power transmission path of the power battery and crash parts to further build a solid safety barrier.

In terms of intelligent connectivity, BAOJUN Car Networking 2.0 version is standard across the entire series, supporting wake-free voice interaction and continuous command recognition. The vehicle system will be equipped with Kuwo Music and Baidu Map App to provide online music and navigation functions. Owners can also enjoy 2GB of free monthly traffic.

In addition, the new system also supports OTA remote upgrade function, enabling remote iteration and upgrade of the vehicle system without the need to go to the 4S store. If equipped with the mobile car control App, functions such as mobile Bluetooth key, key sharing, vehicle information inquiry, remote air conditioning activation, and pedestrian navigation to the vehicle location can also be achieved, significantly improving the convenience of vehicle use.

In terms of power, the new car is equipped with a maximum power of 40kW electric drive motor with a peak torque of 150 N·m, and an NEDC cruising range of 305km. In DC fast charging mode, it only takes 1 hour to charge from 30% to 80%. Regarding slow charge, KlWi EV provides a 7kW household charging pile and a 220V three-hole socket for charging.

Chery Little Ant

• Price: RMB 66,900 – 82,900

• NEDC Cruising Range: 301/408 km

# Chery Little Ant, a car model that many people are familiar with, was born as early as 2017. The 2022 Little Ant Sweet Powder Style was officially launched on November 13th. We had the opportunity to test drive this car model for the first time. For those who are interested, please click to read: “Saying that micro-cars have no driving fun, try it again! Who else in the same class?”

In terms of appearance, the new car has the same styling as the current model, in addition to the monochrome Cool Gray, there are 8 dual-color designs, including Gude White, Vitamin C Yellow, Light Green, Crimson Red, Joyful Green, and Flowing Sakura Pink.

The new vehicle has newly designed wheels and all models have widened their tires from the original 165/65 R15 to 175/60 R15, improving driving stability. The rear wheels have also been adjusted from drum brakes to disc brakes.

The interior still adopts dual-color design, with three different color combinations to choose from. The color matching ideas are different from the current car model, and the overall texture has been improved. In addition, the 2022 Little Ant Sweet Powder Style comes standard with a newly styled leather multifunction steering wheel that can be adjusted up and down. In addition to the Sweet Powder Style entry-level model, other models are equipped with electronic handbrakes and AOTU HOLD function.

There is no change in the space part, but the filling of the seats has been optimized, which is more soft and thick overall.

In terms of power, the 2022 Little Ant Sweet Powder Style is equipped with a rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor with a power of 30 kW and a torque of 120 N·m, with a top speed of 100 km/h. The 55 kW and 150 N·m motor is optional for the 408 km range version, and the top speed can be increased to 120 km/h with an extra cost of 1,000 yuan.

In terms of endurance, the car has two versions to choose from, 301 km and 408 km, where the battery of the 301 km range vehicle can be freely selected from lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium.

Lynk & Co Zero Run T03- Price: 5.98-7.68 million RMB

• NEDC Range: 403 km

As a member of the new forces, the strength of the LI ONE T03 cannot be underestimated. Compared with other vehicles in the same class, T03 has more comprehensive intelligent configurations and driving assistant functions, as well as decent space performance. It is also the best-selling model of LI ONE every month.

In terms of appearance, the two headlights on the front of the LI ONE T03 look like two round big eyes, with a large area, making it look very cute. From a distance, the overall outline is somewhat similar to Smart. This car is positioned as a 5-door 4-seater micro pure electric vehicle, with a length, width, and height of 3620/1652/1577 mm, and a wheelbase of 2400 mm.

In terms of interior, the T03 series is equipped with a 10.1-inch suspended LCD center console screen with an intelligent vehicle system. After binding the LI ONE mobile app, many functions such as remote vehicle control and query, air conditioning, trip logs, battery management, and driving record viewing can be realized.

In terms of configuration, the LI ONE T03 series has added a back door switch button. In addition, the high-end models are equipped with Leap Pilot2.0 intelligent driving system, which has 15 high-precision sensors and 10 intelligent driving assistant functions, including intelligent parking, cruise control, adaptive cruise control, low-speed follow, front collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, speed limit sign recognition, and fatigue driving warning.

In terms of power, the T03 uses a 55 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum torque of 155 N・m on all versions except for the Pro model. The Pro model has a total electric power of 80 kW with an official 0-50 km/h acceleration time of 4 s. As for range, the T03 comes with either a 38 kWh ternary lithium battery pack or a 41 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack, but the NEDC range for both is 403 km and supports fast-charging.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to buying a car, the new generation of car consumers are not limited to the mindset instilled by the older generation. In the past, buying a car was about selecting one with large space, high chassis, off-roading capability for rural roads, and the ability to carry a lot of stuff when going back home… Basically, an SUV was considered the right choice. However, for most people, carrying people and goods during long-distance trips is a rare occurrence (after all, we’re not driving a taxi or a truck), and it is not necessary to add daily troubles for just a few days a year.

For city commuting and daily transportation, why use an SUV when you can use a micro-car? If you appreciate the aesthetic appeal and convenience of a micro-car and want it to be fully functional and exquisite, take a look at these models, and maybe you’ll find one you like.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.