- GM says it bought greater than 87,000 Wuling Hongguang Mini EVs in China for Q1 2025.
- By comparability, GM bought 31,612 EVs within the US throughout the identical time interval.
- The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is a part of SGMW, which is a partnership between SAIC, Wuling and GM’s China operations.
It’s humorous how statistics and numbers work out. This week we wrote about how Normal Motors’ EV gross sales have continued to take off in america. The Blazer and Equinox EVs are actually having fun with huge positive factors for Q1. However in China, issues are down and nonetheless wanting a bit of grim for the conglomerate’s once-shining Chinese language operation.
But, if we ignore the precise progress or shrinking percentages and simply have a look at sheer numbers, the story is completely different. GM’s best-selling EV isn’t something based mostly on the Ultium platform. It’s the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV.
For Q1, GM bought a whopping 87,000 examples of this automobile, or greater than twice all of GM’s EVs bought within the U.S. mixed. For extra context, GM bought 114,432 electrical autos within the U.S. in 2024; examine that to what this automotive can do in a single quarter and also you get an actual sense of the place China is at as of late.
The Hongguang Mini EV has been a powerful vendor in China since its inception. It’s had a few updates alongside the best way, together with a swanky convertible mannequin. However for this 12 months, the Hongguang Mini EV bought an entire makeover.
Gone are the pseudo-kei automotive boxy styling, and as an alternative is a extra rounded design. This automotive is larger in each route, has extra energy and extra security gear. It even grew a second set of doorways and gained the power to DC quick cost, nabbing these pesky consumers who can’t afford a BYD Seagull.
Photograph by: Wuling
After all, it’s nonetheless very sluggish and barely a freeway-capable automobile. The YouTube channel Telescope drove one throughout a media occasion in January and admitted the factor runs out of steam at its 62 mph (100 km/h) high pace. However as an entire, there’s been a major step up in high quality and luxury for GM’s tiniest little automotive.
Thus, the worth is loads larger too, as it’s now about $6,200, or double the headline breaking roughly $3,000 value retailers would report on a couple of years again. That is nonetheless loads cheaper than the $9,000 value of a BYD Seagull, although. Nonetheless, the updates and value improve had been sufficient to seize half of the 87,000 models bought, in line with GM.
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV will possible by no means enterprise exterior of China. Nonetheless, its recognition proves one factor: the best way to get a preferred EV is to make it reasonably priced. The Equinox EV might not be on the identical stage of practically micro-mobility because the Hongguang mini EV, however the truth that uts main GM’s U.S. EV gross sales charts tells me that affordability may be the most important highway block to EV adoption.
Contact the creator: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com
