This is the Umut, a new wooden electric car from China, seen on the China-Eurasia Expo in Urumqi last week. The Umut is at home here, developed and made in Urumqi city. Its chassis and body are all made of wood, the electric motor is good for a 60km/h top speed and a range of 150 kilometer.

It is a big car, just over four meters long and it seats seven. Price is big too; 300.000 yuan or 47.000 USD. That is exactly double the price of the first Umut-branded car, a wooden convertible that was launched back in June last year. Well, at least there is some progress…

Interior is very basic but beautifully crafted, even the steering wheel is made of wood. Seast might be a bit on the hard side for long trips. Sadly the Umut isn’t road legal but I guess it will look great on a golf course. It is environmental friendly too, electric powered and the wood can be recycled.

The money also sits in labor, all Umuts are hand- made, building one takes some 1000 man-hours. Strangely the company doesn’t have a website, when you want to buy just dial the mobile number on the license plate. We think this Umut is a great idea, it just needs some more power and we would like to see a big wooden wing on the back.