Lingbox Box mini EV coming to Malaysia sub-RM100k; Daihatsu-copy, up to 220 km range, single airbag?

The Lingbox Box mini electric vehicle will be coming to Malaysia, through a five-year deal secured by EP Manufacturing (EPMB) for the assembly and distribution of the mini EV.

Known in its native China as the Lingbao Box, the Lingbox-branded model is a four-door electric hatchback that measures 3,584 mm long, 1,475 mm wide and 1,666 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,455 mm. Powertrain is a single electric motor that produces either 41 hp or 48 hp depending on specification.

Power comes from a 19.2 kWh LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery that offers a claimed 220 km of range on the China-specific CLTC test cycle – roughly equivalent to NEDC – and DC fast charging will bring a 20-80% charge in 1.2 hours. Meanwhile, a home wallbox charger will charge the Box in 11 hours.

The interior of the Box features two digital displays; the driver gets a seven-inch instrument panel, while infotainment is shown through a 10.1-inch unit in the centre of the dashboard. Although the Box accommodates two rows of occupants, there is just one airbag for the China-market car, leaving the other occupants in the car to do without; hopefully this will be upgraded ahead of its Malaysian market arrival.

If you feel you have seen a car that looks very much like this one, you most likely have; the Box bears considerable resemblance to the Daihatsu Cast kei-class from 2015, both wearing tall-set rounded headlamps, along with similar sculpting of their wheelarches and door crease lines.

Daihatsu displayed the Sport variant of its kei car at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, and an adventure-kitted SUV version of the Cast Activa at GIIAS 2016.

Priced at 56,800 yuan (RM36,015) in China inclusive of government incentives, it remains to be seen just how much the Lingbox Box will be priced when it arrives in Malaysia. The cars to be sold in Malaysia are expected to be priced below RM100,000, and in doing so, these will become the most affordable EVs in Malaysia, according to EPMB.

For comparison, the lowest-priced fully electric vehicle currently available in Malaysia is the GWM Ora Good Cat, which is priced from RM139,800 in base form. Also from China, the more-recently launched BYD Atto 3 electric SUV starts from RM149,800 in Standard Range guise, and up to RM167,800 in Extended Range form.