Budding Chinese automaker Hongrui will open pre-orders for its new EV, the Xiaohu (Tiger) subcompact set to debut in a Launch Edition spec priced at just 29,900, or barely more than US$ 4,600.
The 2.9-meter-long three-door car is limited to 170 kilometers of electric range. It is 2,920 mm long, 1,499 mm wide and 1,610 mm tall with 1,980 mm of wheelbase. It is a two-seater with a modest-sized trunk, retro exterior, and a laconically executed cabin. Despite the bargain price, the car still manages to pack two displays and a button-based transmission selector. An electric motor propels the tiny car with 41 PS, while the traction battery comes rated at 11.8 kilowatt-hours.
A five-door version is also underway to the market. It is 3.4 meters long, offers four seats instead of two, and packs a more powerful motor rated at 46 PS. However, the battery size stays the same in this version, so the driving range is capped at 160 km.
Hongrui plans to produce 500 Launch Edition vehicles and does not specify how many of those will be four-seaters, if any.
