Hot on the heels of last week’s F1 inspired Renault Twizy comes another (slightly) less outlandish EV in the form of the awkwardly named GWKULLA. Looking very much like the Twizy, this concept from Great Wall Motors showed its pert little face at the Shanghai Auto show last week.
The diminutive car's diminutive electric motor generates 15 hp and 50 Nm (37 lb.ft) of torque to drive those tiny rear wheels. This delivers a claimed top speed of 65 km/h (40.5 mph) and a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles), while recharge time is specced at 4.5 hours through a regular 220 V power outlet.
The concept shown in Shanghai is part of the ongoing Great Wall KULLA concept series. This series first appeared at Beijing’s Auto China Show in 2008 and has been shown in several forms at major Chinese auto shows since. The various iterations include a slim four seater, a slightly chubbier four seater, and a fully enclosed tandem two-seater similar to the current version.
From our photos taken in Shanghai one fairly quickly picks up on the fact there are no doors. The drop down “plasticky gullwing doors” look borrowed from a child’s electric buggy and being taller than it is wide, the GWKULLA looks like it's well-suited to negotiate the urban squeeze ... though it might not fare at all well on the skidpad.
