On May 17, FAW Besturn's first miniature pure electric vehicle "Besturn Pony" officially rolled off the assembly line and is expected to be launched at the end of the month.
It is understood that the Pentium pony made its debut last year and was regarded by the outside world as an important part of the horizontal expansion of the product layout of the Pentium brand in the process of new energy transformation; Until the end of April this year, the car announced the start of pre-sale, a total of 3 models were released, with a range of 122km/170km, and a pre-sale price of 28,900-34,900 yuan.
As we all know, since the transformation of the domestic automobile market to the direction of new energy, the micro pure electric vehicle market has gradually become a red ocean, and many products represented by Wuling Hongguang MINI EV have emerged.
The reason for this is not only the short size of the vehicle, which is convenient for short-distance travel, but also the relatively low threshold for car purchase, combined with the lower cost of pure electric vehicles than fuel vehicles, forming a higher cost performance; In some cities, it is less difficult to obtain new energy license plates than fuel vehicles, which is also the reason why consumers choose to buy such micro cars.
Obviously, the price is the biggest highlight of the galloping pony. In the early years, when the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV was first launched, the starting price was 28,800 yuan, which was basically the same as the current pre-sale price of the Pentium Pony, but with the rise in the cost of power batteries and changes in the market environment, its price has also shown a slow growth, and the current price has climbed to 32,800-99,900 yuan, and its competitiveness has declined.
At the same time, the involution of the new energy vehicle market is becoming more and more prosperous, in the context of the increasing sentiment of consumer groups holding currency to buy, the low threshold for buying a car can obviously provide it with stronger competitiveness, and the policy of "vehicle + three electrics" lifetime warranty can also play a big role.
In terms of product details and appearance, the Pentium Pony focuses on the "cute" shape, with two versions, hardtop and convertible, and the overall bias is towards younger and personalized design. It is reported that the brand will open a personalized customization platform in the future, providing users with more than 100 personalized customization solutions to cater to diverse needs and preferences.
In terms of safety, the vehicle adopts a high-strength cage body, and the power battery has undergone more than 100 rigorous tests, and the ground clearance of 130mm can also meet the probability of chassis scratching to a certain extent; In addition, the car is also equipped with the main driver airbag, hill assist, reversing radar, etc., which brings better protection.
It is worth mentioning that at the same time as the Pentium Pony rolled off the assembly line, the brand's new SUV model codenamed E311 also made its debut, or will be released within the year, and mass production will be achieved at the end of this year/early next year; There is also a sedan model codenamed E541, and it is reported that the project is now in the body-in-white trial production stage.
Up to now, FAW Besturn has formed five series composed of B series, T series, E series, MPV and Besturn Pony.
Among them, the B series is a sedan represented by the B70 and B70S; The T series includes models such as the T90 and T77, positioning the SUV market and the main area of the brand in the early stage of renewal. The E series points to new energy, including the layout of the travel market; The only MPV product is the M9, which was launched last year.
The abundant product line has brought considerable market results to FAW Besturn. For the whole year of 2023, the brand sold a total of 120,666 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 59.4% and a record high. In the first quarter of this year, its cumulative sales reached 26,418 units, an increase of 16% year-on-year.
It is foreseeable that as a new member of the FAW Besturn new energy family, the arrival of the Besturn Pony will become the best assist for the brand to boost sales performance, and is also expected to open up a new situation for it in the domestic new energy vehicle market competition.