During the period from 2022 to 2023, China's micro scooter market is almost as hot as the compact family car market. As a representative model, Wuling Hongguang MINIEV is even more popular, and I still remember that the car's monthly sales have surpassed Tesla Model Y and sat in the top spot of new energy models. I think there is no other reason, just because the price is cheap and affordable, Wuling Hongguang MINIEV is worthy of being respected.
But this is not the case, and today's young people value not only economy, but also comfort and cost-effectiveness. In the new energy technology revolution led by involution, many brand car companies have begun to pile up configurations and fight price product routes. However, in the micro scooter market, subject to the fluctuation of the cost of battery raw materials, many car companies have always maintained a wait-and-see posture and dare not do anything in this market segment. Fortunately, at the beginning of this year, the price of lithium carbonate dropped, so the involution of the mini car market is coming again.
This time, it was not Wuling or Chang'an that took the lead in setting off the price struggle, but Zhidou. Recently, it was learned from official channels that a new micro electric vehicle - Rainbow has been launched under the Zhidou brand. At present, the new car has launched a total of 5 model configurations, and the price range is 31,900-43,900 yuan under the premise of not participating in subsidies, which is a prominent price advantage compared with the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV on sale. And if the subsidy is included, the real price of this car is 27,900-39,900 yuan, which is even lower. However, in terms of configuration, this car is still relatively niche, why do you say that?
I believe everyone has heard of the Zhidou brand, although it is not an unpopular brand, but it is due to the fact that this brand became famous earlier. Zhidou Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd. was first established in 2006, at first by Zotye Automobile and Geely, and later by New Ocean Group, Geely Holding Group and other companies as a joint venture, focusing on the development, production and sales of micro electric vehicles. Compared with the competing Geely Panda mini at the same level, although Zhidou Rainbow also has Geely investment, it is not "biological" after all, so there will be some differences in process quality and product technology.
First of all, from the appearance point of view, Zhidou Rainbow is "shaped like its name", using a double-color appearance design. At first glance, it looks a bit like Hongguang MINIEV, which also adopts a three-door and four-seat layout, with a square and simple shape, round rectangular LED headlights and Y-shaped LED daytime running lights, which looks a little cute and honest. In addition, a large trapezoidal air intake is designed under the front bumper, supplemented by a contrasting design, which further enhances the recognition of the front face.
From the side, the appearance of the mainstream micro scooter on the market is comparable, and the new car also uses a large number of horizontal lines, intending to add some sense of extension visually. In addition to the A-pillar, the B-pillar and C-pillar are painted in black, showing the effect of a floating roof, combined with the design of the contrasting body, side skirts and wheels, it has a strong sense of fashion, which is in line with the aesthetic intuition of young people.
At the rear of the vehicle, the tail light cluster is the same as the headlight group, with a Y-shaped lamp cavity design, and the lamp body is blackened, which is also well recognizable in natural light. However, although the overall performance of the exterior is in line with expectations, the design of the turn signal integrated into the fenders still feels a little shabby, but considering the price, it can be relieved.
The interior of the car is designed to be simple, perhaps to emphasize its "cute" attributes, and the cabin uses a lot of circular design elements, while the cream color scheme makes the cabin look very warm. The double-spoke steering wheel has a simple shape, with a floating instrument cluster and a central control screen, which adds to the sense of technology in the interior. The shape of the center console is simple, retaining the physical physical air conditioning knob and co-pilot storage compartment, which provides convenience for daily travel, but the overall performance of the materials is average, and the plastic feeling is very strong. The front layout is consistent with competing products such as Hongguang MINIEV, and it is also a through-type design.
In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 3224/1515/1630 mm, and the wheelbase is 2100 mm, which is larger than the size of Hongguang MINIEV, which is mainly reflected in the increase in wheelbase by 160 mm, and the rear space is moderately wide and will not be too cramped. In terms of power, the new car provides two power systems, one is 20kW, and the other is a 30kW single motor, which has average performance and is more suitable for urban road driving. In terms of range, the car is available in three versions: 125km/201km/205km.
summary
In fact, it can be seen that in the price range of about 30,000 yuan, all car companies can do is to compress costs and amplify practical value. For young users who want to spend a small amount of money to feel the high-quality travel experience, the cost performance of Zhidou Rainbow is actually not high, all it has is some basic configuration and performance, and the space can be regarded as a shining point, but it is still not good enough for scenes that really need to travel with full loads. Rather than a miniature scooter, it is better to call it a "regular classic car", which is suitable for people with a limited budget and not for those who pursue cost-effectiveness.