The Wuling Air EV has been launched in Thailand as one of the cheapest new electric vehicles available for purchase in the country. The Air EV comes fully imported from Indonesia and will be offered in two variants, with prices starting from just 395,000 baht (about RM52k).
That figure applies to the Standard Range that comes with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with an energy capacity of 17.3 kWh. This is good for a range of 200 km following the NEDC standard, with a full charge taking 8.5 hours with a maximum AC input of 2 kW.
Meanwhile, the Long Range sells for 465,000 baht (about RM62k) and gets a more substantial LFP battery with 26.5 kWh for 300 km of range. The higher-end variant also supports AC charging at a peak of 6.6 kW, with a full charge requiring four hours. According to the official spec sheet, both variants feature a rear electric motor rated at 41 PS (40 hp or 30 kW).
In terms of equipment, the Standard Range gets halogen headlamps, an illuminated Wuling logo, 12-inch steel wheels, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, an integrated media system with Bluetooth support, two speakers, fabric upholstery, air-conditioning, two airbags, ABS, EBD, a tyre pressure monitoring system, keyless start a rear-view camera, reverse sensors and ISOFIX child seat anchors.
With the Long Range, the kit list is improved with LED headlamps, LED DRLs, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a touchscreen infotainment system, four speakers, synthetic leather upholstery, keyless entry, vehicle telematics (remote air-conditioning, geofencing), ESC, an electronic parking brake (with auto brake hold) and hill descent control.
The Air EV is primarily a city car and occupies a very small footprint, measuring in at just 2,974 mm long, 1,505 mm wide, 1,631 mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,010 mm. The pint-sized vehicle comes with two doors and will accommodate up to four passengers, with the rear bench being 50:50 split-folding.
In China, the Air EV is also offered with a shorter wheelbase (1,635 mm) and just two seats but that’s not available in Thailand, which gets the four-seater instead. Competition for the Wuling model comes in the form of the Volt City EV, which was launched last August and comes in two- (For-Two) and four-door (For-Four) versions. The City EV is even cheaper, starting at 365,000 baht (about RM48k) for the For-Two, while the For-Four retails at 465,000 baht (about RM62k).
The For-Two gets an 11.8-kWh battery offering 165 km (Eco mode) or 115 km (Sport mode) of range and comes with an electric motor rated at 41 PS (40 hp or 30 kW) and 90 Nm of torque. Meanwhile, the For-Four’s 16.5-kWh battery provides up to 200 km (Eco mode) or 135 km (Sport mode) and its electric motor puts out more power at 46 PS (46 hp or 34 kW) and 102 Nm. We brought up the City EV because it previously reported that the electric hatchback is coming our way through local firm KuroEV.
Joining the Air EV and City EV in the small city EV ring are the Pocco Meimei (MM) and Duoduo (DD) that were introduced in Thailand in 2021. The two-door Pocco MM is priced from 399,000 to 469,000 baht (about RM53k to RM63k), while the four-door DD is from 389,000 to 449,000 baht (about RM52k to RM60k).
In Thailand, the Air EV is offered with an optional extended warranty package that can be purchased for an extra 20,000 baht (about RM2.7k) that provides a three-year, 100,000-km vehicle warranty; eight-year, 120,000-km battery warranty and two years of emergency roadside assistance. This improves upon the standard two-year, 50,000-km warranty on the vehicle and battery. Colour options include Pristine White, Avocado Green, Lemon Yellow, Peach Pink and Galaxy Blue.
It should be noted the Air EV is actually cheaper in Thailand compared to Indonesia, as it retails for between 243 million and 299.5 million rupiah (about RM75k and RM93k) in the latter market with identical powertrain configurations. Could the Air EV make its way to Malaysia to dethrone the Neta V as the country’s most affordable EV? Would you want a car of this size?
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Burn it!
Fully imported EV CBU price not allowed below RM100K
From MITI site
MITI Approved Permit / Motor Vehicles
– Franchise AP
Senarai Semak AP Franchise
SENARAI SEMAK PERMOHONAN UNTUK DILANTIK SEBAGAI SYARIKAT AP FRANCAIS
…Syarat Kelayakan Menjadi Pemegang Lesen Import (AP) Francais
4. Kenderaan yang dibenarkan diimport:
(i) Kereta
Kereta Elektrik (EV)
a. Pengimportan kereta elektrik (EV) diberi kelonggaran sementara sehingga 31 Disember 2025:
• Tidak tertakluk kepada syarat had kapasiti enjin setara melebihi 1,800 cc; dan
• Namun demikian, harga jualan atas jalan hendaklah tidak kurang dari RM100,000.
(ii) Motosikal
Motosikal Elektrik (EV)
• Tidak tertakluk kepada syarat had kapasiti enjin setara melebihi 250 cc; dan
• Namun demikian, harga jualan atas jalan hendaklah tidak kurang dari RM12,000.
Better CKD, bring in the technology,
Malaysian got Job Opputurnities, then spending power.
https://insideevs.com/features/343231/heres-how-to-calculate-conflicting-ev-range-test-cycles-epa-wltp-nedc/
So China went from an outdated and optimistic NEDC to an even more optimistic CLTC that could quote ranges 35% higher than real world.
What is the NCAP rating?
Not to belittle EVs but even if it comes to Malaysia at the Thai pricing point, what compelling reason would a buyer have to choose this over a Myvi, Persona or even cheaper cars like a Bezza, Axia or Saga? The range you can achieve is unlikely to be even close to what is claimed, it can only charge via DC so it will take ages to do so, and while beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, this is just fugly. Maybe early adopters who have a need to be first at everything will buy it but with petrol prices still being affordable and no punitive taxation for opting to choose ICE over EV, it’s hard to make a good business case for this unless you’re targeting fleets that get some sort of industrial discount.
Very well said.
Expensive rubbish!!
seriously, who would buy this toy car in Malaysia? unsafe, small and nit appealing to buyers. this is good for NEV use not day to day drive
Have u used one ? Running COST for Atto 3 ( Home charging ) at Rm 0.06/Km. ICE at Rm 0.18/km ( Myvi ) . Service cost ~ Rm 200/year(atto 3) . Vs Rm 650/year (Myvi). Comfort… Try it ..You NEVER want to use ICE anymore ( Even if it is a Mercedes C Class ).
bit of a simplistic view and an oversell so i’d implore you to have a more objective view.
comfort is a factor of suspension setup and has nothing to do with EV or ICE – the Atto 3 just comes fitted with soft suspension which is why it feels wallowy and unsettled through corners to the point where it even “skips” if you hit a pothole through a corner at moderate speeds. straight-line comfort, sure.
it’s an overstatement to say Atto 3 > ICE C-Class. Given my experience with the Atto 3, overall ride refinement is no where nearly as good/confidence inspiring as even a Mazda3, let alone the Mercedes C-Class or the benchmark 3-Series.
Atto3 being an EV has no engine noise but the road and wind noise is horrible at 60km/h and above. If you’ve actually owned a current generation C-Class or 3-Series or had the liberty to sit in either long-term, you would know the engine is barely audible from the cabin under normal driving conditions and both are very noticeably quieter than the Atto3 when it comes to noise insulation.
i could be wrong but at the given price range, most Atto 3 owners come from B or C segment Japanese ICE cars so that’s their benchmark and it’s like another comment i saw on Paultan; these buyers got into the EV game thinking they got premium-levels of a car but haven’t never had extended experience with a current/recent generation premium make. Nothing wrong with this because not every one has access to premium makes – but to simply oversell the Atto 3 in comparison; that’s a gross misguided piece of information to others – i’m guessing because you bought one or have an affinity with it.
So therefore tacky interior and normal-ish exterior design notwithstanding (design is subjective after all), I wouldn’t recommend anyone pick an Atto 3 over an ICE 3 Series or C Class by any margin of comparison.
If you’re in the market for a C-Class/3-Series and want to benchmark an EV; then an Ioniq 5 or EV6 is a serious contender because these two are much more refined with great noise insulation and will give the Germans a run for their money. Heck the Ioniq 5 is even marginally quieter than a BMW iX3.
Lastly, using cost as a primary comparison for EV to ICE is not even logical. You are merely factoring running cost when the cost to purchase even the cheaper Chinese EVs costs more than many decent B to C Segment ICE cars – and you’re comparing with a Myvi? I could buy a top of the range Myvi and service it till its end of life and still fork out less than what you paid for an Atto 3. So, I’m sorry but your comparison is a joke.
very well said
this type of joke car at this price how to ask the common folks to buy? ….the rich wont buy…and the common folks wanna buy this toy ?
There will be buyers,no matter how insane or uncool it seems.
Well, those loaded,will buy this as a cheaper EV toy..to send kids to kindy,fetch fat mama to collect her jewellery from pavillion condo,fetch grandpa from kopitiam,or go grocery store nearby.
those rich one where wanna ride this joke…..they want audi,volvo, mercs, bmw ev toys….
this kind of toy is for normal joe on the street but with these kind of prices and specs….big time joke la
Mr A: What do you drive?
Mr B: Wuling
Mr A: What the f is Wuling?!
Suitable for use as police patrol car
Watch out…Axia n Myvi sales might be affected,to a certain extent.
Not sure I want to be seen in that thing.
i m more concerned about how well our bomba is able to cope with EV fire while inside enclosed car pack especially in apartment and mall carpark.
i recently saw a video in youtube that raise this issue of EV fire. it seems, when lithium battery caught fire, the usual method to contain the fire by preventing supply of oxygen, seems to be not effective. lithium battery will continue to burn.
i am concern for incident inside enclosed carpark may result in damage to the building due to intense heat.
is our bomba ready to fight EV fire ?
AVD extinguishers are designed for lithium fires
better put 1.0L EV,
it will be more powerful yet more fun vehicle.
now only a 40hp battery car.
When is this Coming into Malaysia. Looking to get 1 for my wife for daily run arount. If RM60K …… Worth the Money.
Me too. I also want one badly. Saw the review by british vloggers. They love the 1st gen Wuling Mini EV a lot. They were super surprised how well it was build. Its a collab between Wuling and General motor. Really well build car
The Axia looks millions times better than this abomination!
No no, this thing can’t go on to Malaysia highway. It will makes jam.
This one drives faster than kancil la. Should we ban kancil like that?? Lu manyak sohai la. School drop out?
Wow, your “fighting spirit” is very high. Haha!
the real sohai is you. 50bhp EV wont even be able toreach 90kmph
Wuling-GM mini EVs are definitely great and well bulid compact car. The 1st Gen Mini EV looks way better in my opinion no doubt this one may be more high tech. The 1st gen mini EV is so cute and has so many after market accessories to make it cuter to suit individual identity like customizing a phone cover. I prefer that better. Hope the 1st gen comes to Malaysia instead.
Here is wisdom.why did our creator invent women?To woo men, Don’t let this toy Wooling you to woo you to part your money and being you misery and wow. Don’t falling in woo trap but woo your partner is more satisfying.
woo woo woo…woo your head ah. I woo kau chat your mother then you know. Sohai la lu
Wah MF detected here Kyoka
if only Malaysia is part of NAFTA.
Then these cars wont be taxed coming from Indonesia.