Weird Alibaba: Would you buy this Pepto Bismol pink Chinese electric car for $5k?
It’s time for a fancy pants edition of the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week. In today’s column, we’ve got a beautiful specimen of an antique-style roadster complete with the tried-and-true guts of electric microcar from China.
What could go wrong?!
This little EV represents the crème de la crème of China’s sophisticated electric golf carts.
It’s got seats. It’s got a steering wheel. It’s got a paint job to match your favorite diarrhea medication. What’s not to like?
With a vehicle described as having both a “fashion design” and an “elegant appearance”, there’s not much left to argue with here.
A range of 80-120 km (50-70 miles) is pretty darn good for a glorified golf buggy. And that’s especially true when you consider that many used Nissan Leafs would struggle to hit those figures.
I’d describe the unique selling points of this classic looking vehicle to you, but I think it comes across more genuine in the vendor’s own words:
“Vintage car is also called classic car, antique car or sightseeing car. It is a kind of popular car games in the scenic spot, hotel, golf course, amusement park, shopping mall, entertainment center,etc. They can be divided into FRP vintage car and iron vinrage car according to the material. Generally speaking, vintage car can seat 8 or 11 passengers and they have advantages of long time stable performance, low cost maintenance fees. easy to operate. Our vintage car can be customized with different seats and colors.”
Just imagine what will happen when Alibaba vendors discover ChatGPT. They’ll be unstoppable.
I love the feature list too. Check this gem out:
“Features:
1. Fashion design, elegant appearance;
2. Infinitely variable speed system;
3. Using luxurious car professional paint;
4. 2 Headlights for safe driving at dark ;
5. Comfortable soft seats;
6. Custommized as your requirements.”
Tell me more about that infinitely variable speed system, please! I might need to take this Alibaba buggy down to the track and come home with a few pink slips.
The 4,000W motor paired with a 7.2 kWh battery is actually a fairly respectable drivetrain.
That’s a bit more power and battery than I’ve got in my Chinese electric mini-truck, so a drag race or tug of war between the two would be an interesting matchup.
The only downside (or perhaps one of the downsides) is that this “sightseeing car” is priced at over twice what my mini truck cost, with a sticker price of $5,500. Though if you buy three of them, the vendor claims to knock a solid $200 off the price.
Deal of the century there, folks.
At least, until you double or triple that figure to cover all the other costs associated with importing a vehicle from the other side of the world.
Considering that this is certainly not a street legal vehicle in the US or most places in the world, I’m not sure how much real use you’d get out of this Alibaba special.
It’s probably not going to make a very good utility vehicle, but boy would you have the raddest golf cart on the links!
And with a car that looks this good I have to imagine the cops would give you a pass — or at least let you off with a warning — if you happened to meander a bit farther from the golf course than you should.
Keep in mind though that I’m no way advising anyone to actually buy something weird like this. Shopping on Alibaba can be a tricky sea to navigate. Some of my readers who have tried to replicate my own bad idea acquisitions have found that what gets delivered (if it ever gets successfully delivered) might not hold up to the sales pictures.
So this is probably another good example of a vehicle that’s fun to admire from the distance of a computer screen. And that’s about $5,500 cheaper, too!
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Tesla sales were down in every European country except for the UK in the first quarter, and there’s a reason why.
That’s while electric vehicle sales are still booming in Europe.
Tesla’s sales declined for the first time in Europe last year, but the decline accelerated in 2025.
Over the last three months, we have been reporting on worrying sales results for Tesla across most European markets, especially in important markets like France and Germany.
Now, we have the delivery numbers for Tesla in all European countries, and the automaker is down 37% on the old continent compared to 2024, which was already a down year for Tesla.
On top of it, Tesla is down in every single country except the UK.
Here are Tesla’s Q1 2025 deliveries in each European country compared to Q1 2024:
| Country | Q1 2024 | Q1 2025 | Change |
| Germany | 13,068 | 4,935 | -62.2% |
| UK | 11,768 | 12,474 | 6.0% |
| France | 11,360 | 6,696 | -41.1% |
| Belgium | 7,219 | 3,019 | -58.2% |
| Netherlands | 6,854 | 3,445 | -49.7% |
| Norway | 5,121 | 3,817 | -25.5% |
| Other | 4,420 | 3,301 | -25.3% |
| Sweden | 4,312 | 1,929 | -55.3% |
| Italy | 3,721 | 3,469 | -6.8% |
| Spain | 3,601 | 3,169 | -12.0% |
| Denmark | 3,558 | 1,549 | -56.5% |
| Switzerland | 3,264 | 1,238 | -62.1% |
| Portugal | 2,888 | 2,145 | -25.7% |
| Austria | 2,506 | 1,304 | -48.0% |
| Poland | 1,264 | 899 | -28.9% |
| Finland | 894 | 475 | -46.9% |
The drop in sales in Germany was the most devastating for Tesla. It went from being Tesla’s biggest European market to being a distant third.
France also saw a significant 41% decline in sales.
This is also happening while electric vehicle sales are surging, regardless of Tesla’s performance.
Tesla is feeling the pain virtually everywhere in Europe except in the UK, but that’s because Tesla is selling its vehicles for much cheaper there.
In the UK, the Model Y PCP leasing starts at £399, which is the equivalent of €462, when the same vehicle starts €570 in Germany:
Interestingly, that’s not the case for the Model 3, which starts higher in the UK than in Germany.
Electrek’s Take
The reason for that is unclear to me. I’d love to hear theories in the comment section.
Could it be that Tesla planned to produce too many right-hand-drive vehicles and had to lower prices to ensure that it could deliver them?
It’s unclear, but I think the theory has some traction since I just learned that Tesla is also already discounting the new Model Y in Hong Kong – another right-hand-drive market.
Either way, I think it’s clear at this point that Tesla is having significant brand issues in Europe, in addition to increased competition.
Yes, Model Y had some supply issues due to the design changeover, but Model 3 sales are also down 11% compared to Q1 2024, when Tesla was still ramping up production of the Model 3 design refresh.
Tesla shareholders need to wake up. This is a self-inflicted wound that can be remedied by removing Elon Musk.
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That Kia EV sedan we’ve been waiting for is almost here. Kia also confirmed it will launch a midsize pickup in North America. Next week, three new Kia vehicles, including the EV4, its first electric sedan, will debut at the New York International Auto Show. Here’s what to expect.
Kia’s first electric sedan will debut at the NY Auto Show
Back in 2023, the EV4 stole the show as a concept during Kia’s first EV Day. Earlier this year, Kia unveiled the production model, debuting as the brand’s first electric sedan and hatchback.
The electric sedan is among the most highly anticipated EV launches of 2025. Kia’s EV4 will arrive this year as part of its low-cost EV lineup, and it could be a true challenger to the Tesla Model 3.
After opening orders in Korea last month, Kia said the EV4 will “set a new standard for electric sedans,” starting at just 41.92 million won, or about $28,000. It has two battery options, 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh, providing a range of 237 miles (382 km) and 331 miles (533 km) in Korea.
With its North American debut now officially set for next week, Kia teased the new EV, claiming it will be one of three new vehicles.
The new vehicles include a sedan, an SUV, and “something in between.” Two will be fully electric, while the other offers a “sporty and versatile approach in the compact car segment.”
More EVs are on the way, including an electric pickup
During its CEO Investor Day on Wednesday, Kia confirmed plans to launch a new midsize EV pickup for North America. In the long-term, the company aims to eventually sell 90,000 units for about 7% of the market share.
Kia’s electric pickup will be based on a new EV platform built for city and outdoor use. According to Kia, it will offer “best-in-class interior and cargo space, a robust towing system, off-road capabilities, and advanced infotainment and safety features.”
Following the EV6 and EV9, Kia is expanding its electric car lineup with the new EV3, EV4, and EV5, which will roll out this year. Kia is also launching its first electric van, the PV5, to kick off its new PBV business.
By 2030, the company plans to sell 2.33 million electrified vehicles, accounting for 56% of global sales. This includes 1.26 million EVs and 1.07 million hybrids.
As it expands its lineup, Kia expects electrified models to account for 70% of sales in North America, 85% in Europe, and 73% in Korea by the end of the decade.
Kia boasted that it will “lead the mass adoption of EVs by expanding its EV lineup with the addition of another volume model, the EV2,” which is expected to launch in early 2026.
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