I know what some of you are thinking, but this is not a toy. In fact, the Wuling Air EV is perfectly usable as a daily car, despite the fact that it’s a pint-sized box powered by batteries. How do we know? Well, we borrowed one to zip around Jakarta, that’s how.
Yours truly stayed back in the Indonesian capital after our Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2023 coverage for this. We arranged a tester from Carro Indonesia, which had this Wuling Air EV Long Range in its inventory. The car was to be picked up on a Monday morning at the used car retailer’s Pondok Indah HQ, and I would drive it around for a couple of hours.
Pretty straightforward, you’d think. I’ve driven in many countries over the course of work, but as I surveyed the chaotic ground from my temporary base in Blok M, doubt crept in. Jakarta’s traffic and difficulty level looks like something else, possibly second to only India’s roads in Asia?
And unlike on media drives, I had to plan myself a route and navigate out of an unfamiliar city centre with crazy workday traffic. I also needed a decent photography spot (GIIAS teammate and photographer Sherman had left over the weekend to serve in the state elections). It looks like war out there, and my non-armoured personnel carrier is the tiniest in the field!
Why the Wuling, you ask. Well, it’s somewhat of a forbidden fruit for us, that’s why. Made in Indonesia and launched there last year, the little EV by SAIC-GM reached India (badged as the MG Comet there) and Thailand this year.
Everywhere it goes, the little Wuling is either the cheapest EV on sale or among the least expensive – in Indonesia, the three variant Air EV range is priced from Rp 188.9 juta (RM57,338) for the just-launched Lite to Rp 295 juta (RM89,543) for the Long Range you see here. In Thailand, the Indonesian-made Air EV is even cheaper – from 395k baht (RM52,288) for the Standard Range and 465k baht (RM61,561) for the Long Range.
That’s Myvi money for an EV. The ‘problem’ for us then is Malaysia’s RM100k barrier for CBU imported EVs, which have to be priced higher than the century mark. That leaves some Chinese EVs looking like poor value (the Neta V is only RM72,688 in Thailand, for instance) and some without a business case – the Air EV’s USP is its small size and corresponding price.
If this barrier is lifted, will a car like the Air EV work in Malaysia? The exercise to shrink its size and battery to fit a price point – has that rendered the car unusable as a daily? A legit daily EV for Myvi money, or is the Wuling just a toy? Those are the questions I’m attempting to answer here.
First, specs. This cute little thing has a petite footprint of 2,974 mm by 1,505 mm, and its tiny 12-inch wheels (145/70 tyres!) are placed at the extreme corners for a wheelbase that’s 10 mm over two metres. It’s surprisingly tall though; at 1,631 mm, the Air EV is the same height as a Perodua Ativa (1,635 mm), which means it towers over regular small cars like the Axia. We parked it next to those two cars for you to have a better picture – check out the pics below.
That substantial height combines with a boxy shape to give the Air EV a distinctive style that’s pretty original. That’s not something often said about car designs from China, but the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV – the Air EV’s elder sister – was a breath of fresh air when it debut in 2020, subsequently becoming a sales sensation and a much-copied template. Every Chinese brand had to have one – the Chery QQ Ice Cream and DFSK’s Seres E1 are just two examples. The latter was launched at GIIAS just next to Wuling’s stand.
Compared to the Hongguang Mini EV, the Air EV looks more fancy, more premium even, thanks to flair cues such as the full-width LED bars at both ends and the illuminated Wuling logo on the front charging flap – it’s distinctive, even when you can’t see the car.
The Air EV’s sides are flat but not featureless; the chrome strip that underlines the front LED bar goes all the way into the wing mirrors, and there’s a portrait rear window that goes deeper down than the other glass panels – this cute quirk brings real benefit to rear passengers.
Cheap cars aren’t normally rich in design, but the Air EV is an exception. Likewise, modern Chinese cars often look decent but generic. Not this Wuling, which comes in trendy pastel colours that are easy on the eye. To mine, it’s a toss up between B 1723 SPW’s Galaxy Blue and Avocado Green for the best hue.
The Wuling’s imitable style is a revelation, literally, when you open the two doors to find four seats. The fact that they managed to squeeze four seats into this tiny footprint is surprising enough, so this writer was shocked to discover that he could easily fit into the rear seats with plenty of headroom to spare.
There’s ample room below the front chairs for feet to tuck into, knee room isn’t a problem for my 175 cm frame, and the above-mentioned long windows come in very handy, because there’s virtually no forward view for the rear passengers, not even between the front seats. It would have been very claustrophobic, and may still be so for some, but the porthole helps. There are grab handles too.
However, if the Air EV is to be a four seater, the humans better don’t come with any baggage, as remaining boot capacity is only good for a couple of 1.5L bottles with the seats up. Conversely, it’s great as a two-seater city car with a boot that can easily handle the weekly grocery haul. By the way, there’s a two-seater version of the Air EV in China; without the portrait window, its wheelbase is 357 mm shorter and it looks really funny.
If the Air EV’s exterior looks like some sci-fi movie future pod, its cockpit looks modern and minimalistic too. Yes, it has the conjoined screens made popular by Mercedes-Benz, but the pared-down layout and interesting material mix is rather refreshing. Gloss white trim is very prominent; that and the steering buttons might remind some of the Apple iPod.
Minimal it may look, but there are plenty of nooks for your daily carry. There’s an obvious long tray facing the passenger, but the underside of the dashboard hides a netted hole and two tapau hooks. Wallets, pouches and small bags can fit into the slot between the seats, but it’s the door pockets that surprise. It’s so long, you can open a drinks stall with this car. No glove box, though.
Bisa jalan? Ok pak. My starting point was Carro Square in Pondok Indah, and I chose Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) as my destination, specifically the reclaimed Golf Island. I needed a highway run and the 25 km Jakarta Outer Ring Road route to the shore would provide that. From one affluent hood to another with upscale F&B would be a realistic journey for an EV-driving Jakartan, I suppose?
The good folks at Carro juiced up the Wuling for me and I set off with 88% charge, good for 264 km according to the trip meter. By the way, this is the range-topping Long Range, which has a 26.7 kWh lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) battery and a claimed range of 300 km. This is likely to be a CLTC figure, which should translate to a WLTP range in the low 200s. Because of the battery’s modest size, AC charging at 6.6 kW takes just four hours.
Google Maps fired up, I took baby steps into Jakarta’s traffic and realised, after a few wrong turns, that despite the audio visual chaos, motorists are actually less aggressive than those back home. There’s an unspoken ‘give and take’ to the flow (don’t hesitate, gentle horn when needed), a bit like in Thailand. And this is despite there being so many kapcais buzzing around. Malaysia? Our roads may look good, but the approach is ‘take no quarter’.
Eco mode is adequate in crawling traffic and with the regeneration set at ‘strong’, I single pedalled all the way to the highway. In the section before the JORR toll, I appreciated the Wuling’s narrow body, which allowed me to share the lane with bikes, with some buffer. The lack of a bonnet allows you to get hilariously close to the car in front, making me wonder how much space society will save if we all drove one of these.
Of course, the Air EV is easy to park and drive, and you’d expect fantastic visibility from the large glass area. I did too, but in practice, you sit really high up and are effectively looking down on the road. Even though the Wuling is tall and I’m not the tallest guy around (175 cm), my eye level is the top 10% of the windscreen. Like in the Proton Satria Neo but with headroom.
Seat comfort isn’t the best (upper seat back felt far from my body) and the driving position is just about doable for me (no telescopic). The driver’s side wing mirror had severe reflection of the white dash trim, which didn’t help this Jakarta newbie’s cause. It could be the window tint, I’m not sure. Yours truly also did not like the rear view mirror’s heavy fish eye effect and the lack of a left foot rest.
EVs are commonly described as silent, but they’re not – they just produce a different kind of sound from ICE cars. In this most basic of EVs, you’re accompanied by a constant and pretty loud wheeze plus ‘wooo’ sound, a different kind of two-tone. In fact, I think that a modern B-segment car might have less powertrain noise. But you’ll get used to it, like I did in just a few hours.
After entering the highway at Ciledug, I switched to Normal mode and cruised at 70 to 80 km/h, mixing it with the trucks in the slower lanes. We’re used to EVs having explosive off-the-line acceleration, but you won’t get that from the Air EV’s rear-mounted 41 PS (30 kW) e-motor. But pick-up is smooth and I found performance to be adequate for what it is, a city car.
I was expecting Little Ling to be a bit shaken by passing fast cars and big lorries, but it’s planted and steady on the highway. However, if you’re coming from a B-segment car, say a Toyota Yaris, the high-speed ride will be a bit rodeo and the low-speed ride less damped than what you’re used to. Once again, it’s not bad for a car with such small wheels and a short wheelbase.
A pleasant surprise came by way of the steering. It’s light and easy, as it should be, but the wheel also had more road feel than expected, making the Wuling a more natural-feeling steer than some Chinese EVs in our market.
After lunch, the photoshoot and much needed coffee, I headed back to the city from PIK, driving faster than the journey north as I had plenty of range to spare. The final score at Carro Square was 66% SoC and 198 km of remaining range. I had travelled 62.2 km, which consumed 22% of charge. That’s a decent return, and I wasn’t even trying. In fact, with nearly 200 km left in the ‘tank’, I could do three more similar runs before the Air EV needed recharging.
So, I survived driving in Jakarta and the Wuling surprised me. Would I adopt one if it was available in Malaysia for Myvi money? It’s almost a yes, because the Air EV is capable of a weekend of jalan-jalan cari makan with a full charge, something the MINI Electric struggles do with its sub-170 km real world range from 80% SoC. I do less than 40 km a day on weekdays, which means that a single charge can last me the entire work week. Also, the LFP battery can be charged to 100% without accelerating degradation, so you’ll get to milk every drop of that 26.7 kWh pack.
Almost a yes? I live in an apartment and therefore have no access to home charging, which is more important than the public charging infrastructure everyone talks about. Furthermore, petrol in Malaysia is cheap, which means that there’s no push factor. I stopped at a local Pertamina to check the price of BBM, and RON 92 petrol is currently going for Rp 12,400 per litre, which is RM3.76. That’s real world fuel prices for you, Malaysians. Of course, none of this is the Wuling’s fault.
It’s not perfect and there are some shortcomings in ergonomics, but there’s a lot to like about the Wuling Air EV. It might look like a toy, but is in fact a proper ‘dailiable’ electric car. It looks tiny, yet is a proper four-seater. The pastel-coloured icing on the cake is design – the Air EV is distinctive, cute and perhaps a bit desirable too. Our loss.
GALLERY: Wuling Air EV Long Range in Jakarta
GALLERY: Wuling Air EV Long Range at GIIAS 2023
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
No we are not missing out on anything.
We are missing out on China investments bcoz PH sowed hatred to China. They rather go somewhere else where they are welcomed.
You are acting like the world is evolve around china. Chill out
Your acting like the world doesn’t exist China. Stop burying your head in the sand.
Since your missing out on China, why don’t you go live there? Ain’t missing out on some tofu-EV mate, probably blow up eventually.
As it looks like a Toyota, I guess it would be a success in Malaysia too.
Low cost spec, any NCAP crash test rating?
How to fight Proton Iriz and the aging Kia Picanto
Kalau ada demand,
Wuling boleh invest Kilang CKD Buatan Malaysia,
Tak payah complain and not giving Rakyat Malaysia Job oppurtunity.
Bring the Wuling Factory here.
Demand memang pun ada tengok je Proton Xseries hot sales. Tapi PH saja yang xbagi dorang masuk.
Bro you forgot to change your email
sampai bila nak manja-kan kereta nasional???
sampai bila rakyat biasa macam kau dan aku kena sengsara dengan harga mahal kereta biasa???
Simply put if Geely can come in why Wuling cannot? It is simply bcoz when Geely came in it was during a Govt that is friendly to all. Now we have a Govt that is China hating so they rather not come here.
Apa kaitan bodoh? Myvi lagi bagus dari mainan mahal ni
@Peppa has low IQ. very short vision. There is a lot of kaitan with what @Lets see said. Anwar is a “under the radar” Washington puppet. USA is using their puppets like Anwar and Marco to prevent China from overtaking their economy and image. The USA in case you don’t know also supports Yahudi killing Palestine, bomb Iraq and afghanistan etc. It is clear who is the bad guy. China on the other hand helped Iran and Saudi make peace, helped the Taliban rebuild their destroyed country etc. Better know the facts instead of supporting setan. Dosa menfitnah bro.
PH macais and China haters memang low IQ
Bold of you to assume i support PH lmao. I am happy Malaysia have a hope to be free from china influence. Such a breath of fresh air
If you don’t like China influence, you can stop supporting them, stop using any product that has any components that’s made in China.
As a cingcong i still think china is the bad guy
cingcong = DAP/PH = hate China
@Cingconghanj is Yahudi supporter. Setan follower
What an idiot. What about China’s torture towards uyghur and chinese muslim in china? Iran and taliban are embarassment to Islam itself with all syiah bullcrap. Cut the nonsense. I prioritize Malaysia safety and security more than anything. Anwar is USA puppet? Lmao. The one who deserve to be called puppet is the one that allows china culture assimilation forces in Malaysia. At least the U.S didn’t do that. No matter, neither of them are in my interest. I do not cherry pick a terrorist
Yeah, and when China swoops in and takes the Spratly Islands, who do you think is going to stick up for you?
If you think China is your ‘friend’ then you are delusional, not to mention blind to your fellow humans (including Muslims) suffering in that fascist state…
Wonder what is the actual purpose of having national car anyway.
one word: MARUAH.
this word has been a curse because millions of tax money is spent to maintain a lot of white elephant projects. KLCC towers? TRX building? all nonsense and useless projects created for MARUAH of certain individuals.
national cars already more than 30 years old. SO OLD.
still need manja-manja and protection. USELESS COMPANIES.
if you have a son 30 years old still sitting at home and not out there working, better just disown him.
well said.
KIA, Hyundai all newer than Proton and Perodua.
But they are years ahead of our nasional cars already.
our national car projects is a SHAME to our country.
Top speed 100km/h
+
Range anxiety driving even slower to save battery
This is a dangerous road hogger battery car,
Occupying road lanes/overtaking lanes.
Electronics need comply SIRIM,
Car should comply Road Safety too.
Just like Nurburgring Minimum Vehicle Top Speed 130km/h.
When the battery have problem 3-5 years down the road, it is as good as scrap metal, non salvageable, since the price of new battery will worth more than the car at that time.
For Myvi/Axia, will not have any major issues if maintain follow the schedule for first 5 years. Any issue also can get cheap parts and any workshop can work on it.
EV is still a toy for the rich, no matter the price points.
Floorpan battery pack is easier to swap replacement compares to replacing whole package of piston engine from engine bay
And how are you going to swap that without relying on unreliable service centre? Exactly, shut the f up
batteries can be replaced lah, bangang.
dont so anti-EV simply because you are not using one.
I drive Toyota Prius for 10 years, solid build quality, love my car. I fully aware battery can be replaced since I’m on my 2nd Toyota Original battery. I also fully aware the price of battery replacement and the sinking of hybrid/EV resale value, even with brands like Toyota which is well known for good resale value.
In China, one option to buy this Wuling EV is buy without battery (However, need monthly battery subscription to use your own car). It’s RMB 13k less than the full version with battery included. So the battery price is RMB 13k, MYR 8.3k.
Are you willing to fork out RM 8.3K (Price in China, here probably 9-10k) every 4-5 years else your car will not run > 100km? I definitely know that consumer that look at Myvi with budget RM50k will not willing and not able.
Please educate yourself on BEV’s battery technology.
Please educate yourself on making sound financial judgement.
You tell me how most of us that looking for a reliable transportation @ RM 50k range, buy this BEV, then need to fork out RM8-10k every 4-5 years to replace battery else cannot drive balik kampung is an good idea?
2 main things stop this to enter as this will be flood like myvi quantity
Public easy access charging quantity still very low and too niche for 100k above EV now
Commercial consideration – Gov might want keep this cake to Perodua or even Proton if they still keen on small car.
Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines honoured their asean free trade agreement wrt motor vehicles. We did not.
So cars made in either countries are regarded as their own and taxed likewise. That is why manufacturers are investing in either Indonesia or Thailand. Even if they invest in Malaysia, their products will not be recognised as local and taxed as imports due to proton protectionism.
Now it is more towards Perodua protectionism instead of Proton. Just look at Perodua market share & number of cars sold, Perodua will do anything to protect their share even if it is at the expenses of the Rakyat.
That makes no sense whatsoever but not suprised coming from you
Think about what happen to these cars 5 years down the road. Malaysia need to have a law to enforce EV owners to dispose the car properly. Battery is a highly toxic material.
Who set those stupid 100k policy in the first place? Remove it immediately Madani government, else you are not sincerely in EV push!!
Micro Car is always good to use for city with narrow road and limited car park. In city you dont need to travel above 100km/h
Another misconception on LFP battery life cycle, normal life cycle is 3000 after it drop below 100% charge, at 4500 charge cycle at 80% charge and at 10000 cycle at 60%. So basically at 10 yrs your car battery still retain at 80% if you charge everyday. Dont think you will use your car beyond 10 yrs.
Source: https://www.powertechsystems.eu/home/tech-corner/lithium-iron-phosphate-lifepo4/
Good information, but it’s tested under controlled environment so the actual real-life longevity is way lower.
In EV application, it’s not “controlled” environment, everything from temperature, draw load, charging load, quality of other in-car electrical components will effect longevity. That’s why no car manufacturer dare to proclaim “If you charged once a day, the battery will last 10 years with 80% capacity”.
The 100k barrier “to protect” the so called national car is ridiculous, people are free to choose which car best suits them, its an advanced world. Let those tin cans produa and proton made, be gone for a more healthy competition, it would benefit the masses not a few elites behind “national car”. We are seeing more and more manufacturers go neighboring countries, aren’t we? We are moving backward to protect the pockets of those few elites and oligarch.
CBU Wuling Air EV – banned below RM100k
CKD Wuling Air EV only RM37k+
“they cost 57,800 RMB (8,230 USD), 65,800 RMB (9,370 USD) and 66,800 RMB ”
Bring it on, Wuling should invest here, no need overpriced,
Tak payah beli 2nd hand Renault Twizzy tin kosong.
You call this car or coffin, good if you want an expansive casket.
Chinese ev cars can’t, western ev cars can. our country is full of western worshipers
Chinese ev cars can’t, western ev cars can. our country is full of western worshipers
adakah Malaysia menjaga kepentingan tokey Singapore?
PM Msia jaga kepentingan tokey Indonsia dgn memberi Ambalat pada mrk.
This tiny car is a good opportunity to get our hypocrite and racist people to know to value of electric car and not over glorifying combustion engine car. The government itself under transport minister can buy this car under GLC (Goverment link Company) like Gentari an put it on city and outside city for example vacation spots and many more. They can make it a rent for whole day like rm5 or monthly subscription on the price they think reasonable or even yearly subscription. And what we as consumer get? We get an electric car, no maintenance fee needed, and don’t even have to think to pay for charging point because it’s under the subscription. Moreover, for government please make a law to authorize people who stay in apartment to install a charging wall box or etc. It’s a crucial things to do to improvise our ev sector in Malaysia.
My goodness, it is for our safety that Madani is banning another cheap EV from China. They cannot sell in China and dumping their goods somewhere else.
Wuling EV change name to Lingkupao EV
come with one year free massage in Thailand better selling I think.Just my two cents.
Tofu Kecil
After reading majority of the comments, i concluded that some Japanese car supporters here are really anxious about Chinese car manufacturers ascend. I am driving a Japanese car (Toyota) too but i am not blindly supporting Japanese car. The Chinese car manufacturers had improved leap and bound, and they are slowly getting market acceptance. When i travel to Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, i see more and more Chinese cars on the road now and as i search on the web, Chinese cars are getting more and more acceptance in many other countries including Australia, New Zealand, and etc but strangely some people over here only know how to belittle and painting China black, probably they think that this is a way to defend the Japanese car makers. As i said before, i am driving a Toyota now and it is a Hybrid car and i prefer hybrid car over ICE car. I also read that Toyoda (Toyota ex-boss) tried hard to convince people not to move to EV and claim that Hybrid is a better choice as of now. I do agree with Toyoda but you see, there is a big problem in Toyota now. Why Toyota is not selling Hybrid version for most of their lineup here in Malaysia? Only Corolla Cross and Innova Zenix have Hybrid version. No hybrid for Vois, Altis, Camry, and even Harrier. This is akin to i telling you that my Musang king has the best taste and it is the cheapest in the whole world but i am not selling it. Make no mistakes, i still prefer Japanese car as of now and likely to get another Japanese car in a couple of months time but i afraid Japanese car manufacturers are making a huge strategic mistake if they are over confident about themselves and think that consumers will stick with them forever. I believe and i hope the owners and management team of Japanese car manufacturers are more worried about their future than some of our readers here.
We are better, our EVs are totally tax free and we have Smart, Tesla, Porsche, Lotus etc that Indonesia does not have. They have to stick with Hyundai Ioniq 5 that is subpar.