SAIC-GM-Wuling’s MINI EV China’s Best-Selling Electric Vehicle 16 Months Straight

General Motors is making significant strides in ushering in an all-electric future, with plans to launch 30 new EV models globally by 2025. Critically, GM has already found a good deal of success in China, the biggest EV market in the world, with the MINI EV taking the top spot as China’s best-selling electric vehicle 16 months straight.

General Motors recently released its 2021 Sustainability Report, in which the automaker chronicles its latest developments with regard to the transition to an all-electric portfolio, environmental protection efforts, and support for human rights. Notably, the report indicates that the SAIC-GM-Wuling MINI EV has been number one in sales “in the world’s largest new energy vehicle (NEV) market for 16 consecutive months from its launch in July 2020 to December 2021.”

Furthermore, GM states that the MINI EV is the “best-selling NEV model in the entire world for five months during 2021.” Reports indicate that as of December 2021, SAIC-GM-Wuling has sold more than 550,000 units of the MINI EV since the model’s introduction.

Clearly, General Motors is selling a lot of electric vehicles through its joint venture in China. That said, GM has yet to demonstrate similar EV sales success in the U.S. market, although it bears mentioning that two-thirds of The General’s 30 new EV models set to be introduced by 2025 will be available in North America.

With regard to the MINI EV specifically, the vehicle is produced through a joint venture between General Motors, SAIC Motor, and Liuzhou Wuling Motors, offering seating for four and roughly 105 miles of driving range. Motivation is sourced from a single front-mounted motor that produces 17.4 horsepower and 62.7 pound-feet of torque, with a top speed of 62 mph. A new upscale trim was introduced last year which features a larger 26-kWh battery that increases the usable range to 186.4 miles, while incorporating a more-powerful 40-horsepower motor.

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