This electric car even cheaper than the Dacia Spring arrives in Europe

The Spanish brand Invicta unveils its Pony, an electric city car from China known as BAW Yuanbao. With its reduced dimensions, it competes head-on with the Dacia Spring. Too bad, however, that its price is higher than in China.

Until recently, the Dacia Spring was alone in its segment and could boast of having almost no competition. It must be said that with its unbeatable price, the city car has something to appeal to customers looking for an affordable electric car. And this even if the latter has slightly increased since its launch.

A new rival

But over time, new rivals from China in particular have emerged. We think in particular of the Leapmotor T03, which we recently got to drive and which is now marketed in Europe. This is also the case for the Next e.GO MObile e.wave X as well as the BYD Seagull which is also preparing its arrival.

Asian models that are enough to scare specialists, who already fear an invasion in the coming years. And it’s not going to get any better, as a newcomer arrives on the Old Continent. This is the Invicta Ponya small city car with an adorable look, which reminds us of the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV.

But in reality, this new rival of the Dacia Spring is not entirely new. Because it is in fact the European version of a model already marketed, namely la BAW Yuanbao du groupe chinois BAIC. Unsurprisingly, the two are very similar, starting with the style since they share the same lines. The length is always displayed at 3.10 meters for 1.50 meters wide.

On paper, the two are no different. But it’s once on board that you realize that they are not quite identical. In effect, the Spanish city car can only accommodate two people, while the Chinese version is equipped with a rear seat. A choice which is not insignificant, and which allows Invicta to classify the city car as a utility, with slightly more flexible approval standards.

A high price

Under its hood, however, the little Pony inherits the engine of its Chinese cousin. She embarks a 20 kW electric motor, or about 27 horsepower as detailed company website. For comparison, the Dacia Spring reaches 65 horsepower in its Extreme version, for a maximum range of 230 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle thanks to its 27.4 kWh battery.

The Invicta Pony must be satisfied with 170 kilometers, while it carries a 13.7 kW / h battery. The city car does not seem to be fast charging compatible and therefore requires no less than 6-8 hours to be fully charged. The Dacia Spring requires only fifty minutes at a power of 30 kW.

The new Sino-Spanish city car comes with several standard features, including central locking, electric windows and 360 degree camera and air conditioning. It is also equipped with a 20.25-inch touchscreen, but compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto has not been confirmed by the Invicta site. Four colors are available, namely pink, gray, green and white.

It remains to know the price of this Pony, up from that of the original Chinese version. In effect, the city car is displayed from 18,205 euros in Spain, although a discount currently takes it to 15,595 euros. A salty price compared to the Dacia Spring, which starts at 20,800 euros, ecological bonus of 5,000 euros not deducted and which has much higher performance and habitability.

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