SAIC-GM-Wuling's Baojun brand announced Wednesday that its minicar KiWi EV will be officially launched on August 31.

SAIC-GM-Wuling is a joint venture between SAIC Group, General Motors and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile, headquartered in Liuzhou City in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Baojun is a brand created by SAIC-GM-Wuling in 2010.

SAIC-GM-Wuling said on August 18 that orders for the KiWi EV exceeded 3,000 units within a week of the start of pre-sales on August 11.

The vehicle is offered in two versions, with a base version priced at RMB 69,800 ($10,766) and a premium version priced at RMB 78,800.

The price is approximately double that of the best-selling Hongguang Mini EV produced by SAIC-GM-Wuling, which retails for RMB 28,800 - RMB 43,600.

The KiWi EV is powered by an electric motor with a total power of 40kW and a maximum torque of 150N-m.

It is powered by a 31.9kWh LFP battery with an NEDC range of 305km and takes 1 hour to charge from 30 percent to 80 percent using DC fast charging.

The KiWi EV is equipped with the rare on-board 220V power pick-up function and supports electronic stability control (ESC), hill-hold control (HHC) and automatic parking.

Earlier this month, William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of Nio, visited SAIC-GM-Wuling and test drove the KiWi EV.

Li praised the KiWi EV as a smart car that is globally original, technological and futuristic, according to an article released by Wuling, according to a statement from SAIC-GM-Wuling.

"For Nio owners, the second car in the family should be something like the KiWi EV, which is stylish, young and fun," Li said.

NIO's William Li visited SAIC-GM-Wuling, maker of Mini EV

(Photo source: SAIC-GM-Wuling)