GM’s Wuling Brand Picks Up Two J.D. Power NEV-IQS Awards

J.D. Power has conducted a new Initial Quality Study (IQS), specifically for what it calls new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the Chinese market. Wuling, which is a joint venture between GM, Guangxi Auto, and SAIC Motor, picked up two awards in the study against increasingly fierce competition.

The two Wuling winners in the study with the fewest problems in their respective classes are the Wuling MINI EV in the small BEV car category and the Wuling Bingo Plus in the compact BEV SUV category.

The study looks for defects, malfunctions, and design-related problems in the first two to six months of a car’s ownership. There was a slight increase in problems overall compared to the same study conducted last year, but there are fewer problems with batteries and charging.

“With the continuous iteration of battery technologies, problems related to batteries and charging are decreasing,” said Elvis Yang, general manager of auto product practice at J.D. Power China. “Concerns about range anxiety and charging convenience are gradually fading. Additionally, as NEVs penetrate deeper across all price segments, the user experience for different vehicle types is becoming more diverse. For example, the increasingly popular ‘boxy’ rugged SUV design resonates with users’ desire for adventure and freedom, however, their actual usage is mostly urban commuting. In this context, balancing bold styling with noise, vibration, and harshness control and comfort has become a key test of OEMs’ capabilities.”

We reported in March that the Wuling MINI EV was China’s best-selling vehicle so far in 2025, beating out competitors from Geely, Xiaomi, and BYD. As its name implies, the MINI EV is a subcompact electric 5-door hatchback that’s just entered its second generation. It’s powered by a 40-horsepower electric motor and has a 127-mile range.

The Wuling Bingo Plus is a larger crossover version of the Bingo EV, another tiny electric hatchback. By North American standards, it’s a subcompact crossover. It comes exclusively with a single-motor powertrain generating 100 horsepower. Two battery packs are available; one delivers a 249-mile range, and the bigger one is good for 317 miles.