Known globally for its trucks and muscle cars, General Motors has scored a surprise hit in China with its local partners: a petite electric vehicle that sells for less than $5,000.
The Hongguang Mini EV, made by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile, is currently the hottest EV in China, the world’s biggest car market. Sales of the compact four-seater beat industry giant Tesla in August, with consumers wowed by its tiny price tag – the EV retails for between 28,800 Chinese yuan (Dh15,500/$4,230) and 38,800 yuan – and its ability to run for as many as 170 kilometres on a single charge. Orders exceeded 30,000 units in just 50 days.
The MINI EV’s runaway success underscores the latent demand for electric cars at the right price point. Tesla earlier this week said it plans to build a $25,000 EV in about three years. One of the biggest challenges in making EVs cheaper is the battery, which currently represents about one-quarter of a car’s cost because of the expensive metals used, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese.
“A lot of consumers don’t need anything fancy, a commute is all they ask from a car,” said Yale Zhang, founder of AutoForesight, a Shanghai-based consultancy. “I’m all for a product like the Mini EV.”
The car is also a fillip for GM in China, whose market share has been on the decline. The US car maker said in January it sold about 3.1 million vehicles in China in 2019, down 15 per cent on 2018. The Detroit-based firm’s slump has been exacerbated by the trade war with the US, and sales of its Buick and Chevrolet brands have taken a beating.
It may be tough for SAIC-GM-Wuling to maintain its number one position but it can probably at least remain in the top three, according to Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association.
That’s even despite the Mini EV not attracting any government subsidy because of its range of less than 250 kilometres (buyers who purchased an EV in China before July 1, 2019 used to receive a subsidy of 60,000 yuan, which fell to 21,000 yuan this year).
One reason is that the Mini EV, or cars of its ilk, could emerge as a replacement for the many low-speed electric vehicles (LSEV), a mode of transport that’s largely indigenous to China and that covers electric bikes and tricycles. In 2018, about 45.4 million LSEVs were produced.
LSEVs are used mainly in rural areas or by elderly residents in cities who want to travel short distances around the neighborhood for shopping and errands. Under the current regulatory framework, there aren’t any rules governing the production and sale of electric vehicles with top speeds below 100 kilometers per hour.
The result has been a proliferation of cheap, poorly made EVs powered by polluting lead batteries that pose a threat to road safety and the environment, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in 2016. The ministry said later that it has been working on a regulatory framework governing this category of product.
“That’s a huge market for EV makers to grab,” Mr Zhang said. “SAIC-GM-Wuling has made it possible to sell its EV at a competitive price against gasoline cars without any government subsidy. That’s some milestone. It’s testimony to their strength on cost control and supply-chain management.”
Consumers like Zhang Wu are also impressed. Mr Zhang, a retired factory worker in his late 60s, drives a LSEV with no branding or bells and whistles to speak of. It cost 13,000 yuan and he uses it mainly to ferry his grandson to school and back.
The MINI EV “looks way better than my car,” said Mr Zhang, who lives in a suburb in Beijing’s outskirts. “I always feel a bit nervous in this low-speed car because it’s kind of shaky.”
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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PLAY-OFF%20DRAW
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Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
Results
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Major Cinnamon, Fernando Jara, Mujeeb Rahman
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Al Mureib, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Remorse, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Meshakel, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Desert Peace, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Sharamm, Ryan Curatlo, Satish Seemar
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Napoleon
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The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
