This little blue beauty is the new Wuling Hongguang
S3, a small SUV for China. It is the first SUV under the Wuling brand, aimed at
the low end of the market. Price starts at 59,800 yuan and ends at 84,800 yuan
(US$ 9012 – 12,778). Design is nice with a sporty shape, black arches, black B/C/D
pillars, a shiny strip under the windows, and shiny roof rails.
Wuling is a brand brand under the SAIC-GM-Wuling
joint venture (SGMW). in which GM has a 43% stake. The other partners are SAIC
(aka Shanghai Auto) and Wuling Automotive. SAIC and GM are also tied up in the
giant Shanghai-GM joint venture that makes Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac cars
for the Chinese market.
The Hongguang S3 is available with two four cylinder
petrol engines: a 112 hp 1.5 and a 150
hp 1.5 turbo, both mated to a six-speed manual ‘box. There is no automatic or
CVT, and that will seriously hamper sales. It is a bit odd, as most comparable
cars by Wuling’s competitors are available with an automatic.
Wuling’s interior quality has vastly improved over
the last five years or so, and it shows again here. Colors and materials are
nice, but the steering wheel looks a bit old fashioned. The digital instrument
panel is ultra cool with spacey dials and numbers.
The touch screen measures 8 inch. It doesn’t have
Apple CarPlay or even Baidu CarLife, but it does have Bluetooth and a
slot for SD card.
