Industry dynamics

Zhido, which went through boom and bust, launches mini EV with starting price of $4,400

Publishtime:1970-01-01 08:00:00 Views:12

Founded in 2006, Zhido once dominated China's all-electric mini EV market, but entered bankruptcy reorganization in 2019.

Founded in 2006, Zhido was one of the first local EV makers and had dominated the pure electric microcar market.

The EV maker sold 43,000 units in 2017, second only to the then EV king BAIC New Energy.

In 2018, China mandated that EVs with a range of less than 250 kilometers were no longer eligible for subsidies.

After that, Zhido sales declined rapidly and entered bankruptcy reorganization and dropped out of the public eye after delivering 2,005 vehicles in 2019.

On March 7 this year, Zhido announced it had completed a strategic recapitalization and began warming up for the Rainbow.

In October 2023, Zhido completed a strategic recapitalization thanks to the combined efforts of Geely Auto Group, Aima Technology Group, and other investors, according to a statement it made last month.

The Zhido Rainbow measures 3,224 mm in length, 1,515 mm in width and 1,630 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,100 mm.

For comparison, the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, which has been a hot seller in China for the past few years, measures 2,920 mm in length, 1,493 mm in width and 1,621 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 1,940 mm.

This means that the Zhido Rainbow is bigger and wider than the Wuling Honda Mini.

The Rainbow offers four CLTC range options, including two with 125 km, two with 205 km, and one with 201 km.

Zhido offers several color options for the Rainbow, seemingly hoping to cater to a younger demographic.

The EV maker didn't release the Rainbow's powertrain specifications, but a previous regulatory filing revealed that the model has two options for the motor -- 20 kW and 30 kW.

The model also has two options for battery pack capacity, 17.18 kWh and 17.3 kWh.

($1 = RMB 7.2361)

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