New spy shots showing the production version of the Venucia e30 EV. Venucia is a sub-brand of the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture, the e30 EV is based on the Nissan Leaf. The Venucia e30 debuted as the Venucia E-Concept on the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, and re-appeared as the ‘Venucia e30’ on the Shanghai Auto Show in April.

Small-batch production will late this year. Deliveries will begin in 2014, but only for local demonstration projects. Deliveries to the general car market will only start in 2015. Power will come from the same electric motor as in the Nissan Leaf, output is 110hp and 280nm. Top speed will be 144km/h and range 228km.

Size of the E30:  4467/1771/1549, wheelbase is 2700.
Nissan Leaf:        4445/1770/1550, wheelbase is 2700.

Whether the Venucia e30 will find buyers depends on the future availability of charging facilities. Currently, China has basically none; not on the roads, not in parking lots, not at homes. Like all other EV’s in China, the Venucia e30 will be a very hard sell. But who knows in 2015..?

The Venucia e30 at the Shanghai Auto Show.