The Mini EV electric car: a newcomer that made it to the top

The year 2020 was marked by the launch of the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, an electric car from the Chinese company SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile. The car was very affordable, compact in size, yet remarkably spacious. Most car enthusiasts took a liking to the vehicle. It soon became an electric car that nearly surpassed the Tesla Model 3—the leader among all modern models—in sales.

Details About the Car

Residents of small towns were the first to appreciate the new car. According to the manufacturer, the Mini EV has become a people’s car, ideal for short-distance trips for personal or work purposes.

The main differences of this model are:

Price. The cheapest version costs about 339,764 UAH, which is roughly $9,200.
Dimensions. The car is compact. It is less than 3 meters long and about one and a half meters wide. Yet it is designed to seat four passengers and the driver.
Battery range. It has a high-quality battery. This allows it to travel about 120 km at a speed of 100 km/h. These specifications are considered adequate for daily use within the city. The battery can be charged from a standard outlet.

According to statistics, 119,000 units of this model were sold in China in 2020. The electric car was second only to the American Tesla Model 3 (365,000 units were sold in China). However, January 2021 showed a clear advantage for the domestic auto industry, as 25,778 budget models from the local market were purchased in China. American cars sold here totaled 13,843 units.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Model

Despite its acceptable technical specifications and sales leadership, this model has certain advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Advantages:

Corrosion protection. The car undergoes hot-dip galvanizing, which minimizes the risk of rust forming on the vehicle’s surface.
Coating. The car performs quite well in this regard. The paint layer is about 90 microns thick. Honda has a similar figure, while Audi’s is slightly higher—110 microns. The hardness of the paint coating is also on par with other models. Test results show that the Chinese model is on par with Lexus and Mercedes.
Suspension. The front suspension features a MacPherson strut setup, which is installed on most passenger cars. The lack of a stabilizer bar doesn’t make the car any worse: its light weight and low center of gravity prevent it from leaning too much from side to side. The rear suspension is independent, with a “Panara” trailing arm. This is what actually propels the car forward.
Braking system. The car weighs 650 kg, so rear drum brakes and front disc brakes are sufficient for braking. It can come to a stop from 60 km in 22 seconds—a very good result.

Among the drawbacks are:

Safety. A 1.24 mm-thick steel reinforcement bar serves as the front protection. However, this is insufficient because its maximum allowable load is about 400 kg. There is no rear protection, which means the driver must be very careful to ensure that another driver does not rear-end the car from the trunk side.
Build quality. The wiring harness in the car is fairly well-made. However, there is one significant drawback: the manufacturers left several exposed areas that are in direct contact with bare metal. This could lead to electrical problems.
Body rigidity. The steel is very thin, and the resistance is minimal—ratings are around a D. However, the pillars are quite sturdy. Therefore, overall, the rigidity rating falls within the C range.

In summary, it’s worth noting that the Hongguang MINI EV, a best-seller in China, may soon become popular not only in its home country but also around the world. The only catch is its availability. For now, the car is only sold in China. The company introduced the vehicle to the European market as the FreZe Nikrob EV.

Note that November 2022 marked the release of the BYD D1 electric vehicle. The Chinese brand BYD and the taxi aggregator DiDi collaborated on its production. As a result, the new car has been hailed as ideal for commercial use (such as taxis or car-sharing).

Looking for a new electric vehicle? Fill out the contact form, and our sales representatives will help you find the car of your dreams!

FAQ

We understand your concerns and strive to provide you with the utmost comfort and confidence in the car buying process. For your peace of mind, we provide the following guarantees and measures. Our managers conduct over 8 steps of a thorough vehicle inspection. This includes a video report prior to purchase. This will allow you to find out whether the car was a party to an accident, the number of owners, its service history, the reliability of the seller, etc. All data about the car is provided to the client and, only after its approval, the manager proceeds to the bidding process.

For you, we are ready to make buying a car abroad easy and reliable. We offer you a full range of services, including car selection, paperwork, transportation and customs clearance. Choose the best among new and used cars with our help. We can also help you to restore and repair the imported car.

You save an average of $5,000 or more. Exclusive models and configurations. Transparent history of car operation. With our help you get the car of your dreams in the shortest possible time and with maximum benefit.

We conclude a contract with you, in which all the terms, conditions, deadlines, milestones and payments are spelled out. After signing the contract, the conditions do not change. We inform you about each stage of transportation of your car, provide video reports. All payments are made in stages and sent to the settlement account specified in the contract.

After finding your wishes, the manager sends you several options for the car you applied for in messengers. Before starting cooperation, we sign an agreement with you on the selection of a car and ask you to make a reverse advance payment in national currency equivalent to $ 500. After clarifying and checking the car chosen by the client, we reserve it and buy it in Korea.

After signing the contract for the selection of a car, our company asks you to make a refundable advance payment of $500, which is returned in full before the car is booked. Why is it needed? The Korean market is in great demand not only in Ukraine, but also throughout the world. The best cars are very quickly "taken apart" from sites and auctions. An advance payment is necessary in order to book a car in a timely manner and get the best offer.

For now, Ukrainian ports do not accept cargo, so all our clients' vehicles arrive at the port of Constantia (Romania). Bypassing delays in queues at the border, your vehicle will arrive quickly and without delays.

Car delivery consists of the following components: preparation of export documents and booking a place on a ship (from 2 weeks), land transportation of the car across Korea to the port of departure (up to 3 days), transportation by sea to a European port (from 60 days), delivery from a European port to Ukraine (up to 10 days). In total, delivery takes from 2.5 months.

Yes, it is possible. For example, OTP Bank is ready to provide a loan for the purchase of a car even to clients without official employment - an amount of up to UAH 300,000 can be approved without a certificate of income. The bank considers alternative sources of income and the borrower's credit history. In other cases, if you have an official salary card (especially in PrivatBank), you often do not need to confirm your income - the bank already sees the receipt. In any case, Bex Auto will help you collect the optimal package of documents or get by with a minimum number of them.

As a rule, the decision is made very quickly. Our partners have made the process as efficient as possible: PrivatBank pre-approves the loan a few minutes after submitting the application - you will find out the result almost instantly. OTP Bank in most cases issues the final decision and transfers the money within one day. In general, buying a car on credit through Bex Auto usually takes 1-2 days, including choosing a car, submitting an application and signing the contract.

The conditions vary depending on the bank and the program. OTP Bank does not have a CASCO requirement at all - you save on insurance, the bank does not oblige to insure the collateral, since the loan is actually unsecured. At PrivatBank, CASCO is required as standard for new cars, but with a down payment of 20-30%, insurance is not a mandatory condition (although the bank itself advises to insure the car voluntarily). Oschadbank always requires full CASCO, since it lends new cars with collateral. Thus, the presence of mandatory CASCO depends on the selected program: if you want to avoid insurance costs, consider options with a high down payment or a loan from OTP Bank.

Yes, you can repay your car loan early at any time without any penalties. All Bex Auto partner banks – OTP, Privat and Oschad – do not charge fees for early repayment. If you have the opportunity to repay the remaining loan early (partially or in full), do so without hesitation: the overpayment will be transferred only for the actual term of use of the borrowed funds. No penalties or hidden conditions – you save on interest by repaying the debt early.

Yes, of course. Bex Auto helps you buy a used car on credit as successfully as a new one. In particular, our partner OTP Bank specializes in used car loans - there are no restrictions on the brand, year of manufacture or mileage of the car. Moreover, no collateral or CASCO is required for such transactions, which distinguishes OTP's offer from classic car loans. You can choose a car at a car lot, a car dealership or even from a private seller - the bank will give you money to buy it. We also accompany the execution of the purchase and sale transaction and registration of the car in your name. If you want to import a car from abroad, we will offer a special program for a grace period (the first months without interest) - this allows you to calmly wait for your car and not pay extra.

The South Korean market is very full of diesel cars. The most popular cars among our clients are: Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Santa Fe, Renaut (Samsung) Koleos (QM6), Hyundai Palisade, KIA Carnival, KIA Sorento, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi A6, Audi Q7, Volvo XC60, Volvo XC90. Our manager will select the best car option for you according to your wishes.

The most popular electric cars from Korea among our clients are: Hyundai Ioniq 5, KIA EV6, Hyundai Kona, KIA Niro, Hyundai Ioniq 6, KIA EV9, Chevrolet Bolt. Also, the Korean sites are full of imported cars, such as Mercedes EQC, BMW IX, Audi E-Tron, Tesla Model S and others. The biggest advantage of electric cars from Korea is that the charging ports are identical to European ones, so you can quickly charge the car in any situation without any adapters.

Yes, indeed, official dealers have a wide range of Korean cars on the Ukrainian market, but they differ from Korean ones. For example, in Korea, the trim levels are very "rich". For the price that you will buy the maximum trim level from the official dealers, in Korea it will be the basic one. And the fact that in the Korean top trim level it is impossible to even imagine... Engine modifications, for example, Hyundai Tucson in Ukraine is offered only with a 2.0 l petrol engine, or a 1.6 l hybrid, where in Korea you can choose: 1.6 turbo petrol, 2.0 diesel, 1.6 hybrid. Also in Korea, there are many cars that have factory LPG, which is very economical to operate.

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