This hilarious electric Chinese knock-off of a Mercedes G-Class SUV is suspiciously cheap
If you want a real Mercedes G-Wagon to show everyone that you’ve got more money than time spent off-road, go for it. But if you have neither money nor time off-road, then I’ve got a quirky little alternative for you. Behold, the Chinese electric knock-off of a G-Wagon!
It’s a perfect choice for this week’s Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week entry, since it has so many quirks and so much charm stuffed into its shrunken down body.
It may look a bit like a purebred G-Wagon at first drunken glimpse, but don’t be fooled. A cursory glance at the hood ornament shows it actually appears to have a Mercedes father and an Acura mother.
No doubt brewed in the debts of Alibaba’s secretive EV laboratory, this little four-wheeler comes steeped in nearly G-Wagon design.
At just 2.9 meters long (9’6″), it’s never been easier to pull up onto a sidewalk while you run in to a store “for just a minute!”.
The entire thing only weighs 500 kg (1,100 lb), meaning the parking cop can just pick up one end at a time and shimmy you back down onto the pavement.
The top speed is listed at 35-45 km/h (21-28 mph), which seems a bit odd. I’ve never seen a top speed given in a range before, but perhaps it depends on how many people you’ve got in the car.
There are four seats, but the rather diminutive drivetrain may find itself struggling with a full load of entitled country club members.
That’s not the end of the quirks in this Chinese G-Wagon knock-off. In fact, it only gets better from here.
The air conditioning is listed as “manual”, which is a bit unclear but certainly doesn’t bode well. I’m a bit worried that there’s going to be one of those folding paper fans in the glove box with a label on it that says “air conditioning”.
And checking out the video below, the engine compartment seems to have been reimagined as a “frunk”. Or at least it could have been, had they put some sort of bottom in it. Instead, standing over it and popping the hood just gives you a good view of your shoes.
That’s apparently where the range extender motor goes, should you choose to install it. Adding that accessory boosts the range from the lead acid battery pack from 50 km (31 miles) all the way up to 110 km (68 miles).
Hmmm, maybe you will be able to reach those trails after all.
When it comes to pricing, I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that it’s ridiculously cheap, priced at just $2,200. The bad news is that the price doesn’t include batteries, which will add a good bit more to that figure. Oh and there’s more bad news: the minimum order quantity is three. You better get that shipping container ready.
And while we’re shoveling it on, keep in mind that the “real” price is likely to be significantly higher. I once bought a $2,000 electric pickup truck from Alibaba, only to end up paying closer to $8,000 by the time it dropped onto my folks’ driveway in Florida. To be fair, it was worth it. That thing has become a veritable workhorse on the family ranch, but suffice it to say that you’re going to have to reach a bit deeper into your trust fund than you expected if you want to make one of these knock-off G-Wagons yours.
And as usual, please remember this disclaimer: I absolutely, positively, unreservedly implore you not to take the risk of ordering something like this from China. Not only is it not even close to being street-legal in the US and thus not legal to import, but you’ve got a very real chance of never seeing the vehicle or your money again. I recently got scammed buying a mini-excavator from Alibaba (that story is still coming, once I cool off) and so despite having several positive purchases behind me, it’s still easy to get screwed royally.
So instead let’s just enjoy this thing from the safe distance of our computer screens. Or let’s get real, probably from your phone screen in the bathroom. Yep, there are a bunch of dudes out there who feel awkwardly seen right now.
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Tesla’s Q2 results are in, and they are way, way down from Q2 of 2024. At the same time, Nissan seems to be in serious trouble and the first-ever all-electric Dodge muscle car is getting recalled because its dumb engine noises are the wrong kind of dumb engine noises. All this and more on today’s deeply troubled episode of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got an awesome article from Micah Toll about a hitherto unexplored genre of electric lawn equipment, a $440 million mining equipment deal, and a list of incompetent, corrupt, and stupid politicians who voted away their constituents’ futures to line their pockets.
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OpenAI is distancing itself from Robinhood‘s latest crypto push after the trading platform began offering tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX to users in Europe.
“These ‘OpenAI tokens’ are not OpenAI equity,” OpenAI wrote on X. “We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it.”
The company said that “any transfer of OpenAI equity requires our approval — we did not approve any transfer,” and warned users to “please be careful.”
Robinhood announced the launch Monday from Cannes, France, as part of a broader product showcase focused on tokenized equities, staking, and a new blockchain infrastructure play. The company’s stock surged above $100 to hit a new all-time high following the news.
“These tokens give retail investors indirect exposure to private markets, opening up access, and are enabled by Robinhood’s ownership stake in a special purpose vehicle,” a Robinhood spokesperson said in response to the OpenAI post.
Robinhood offered 5 euros worth of OpenAI and SpaceX tokens to eligible EU users who signed up to trade stock tokens by July 7. The assets are issued under the EU’s looser investor restrictions via Robinhood’s crypto platform.
“This is about expanding access,” said Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s SVP and GM of crypto. “The goal with tokenization is to let anyone participate in this economy.”
The episode highlights the dynamic between crypto platforms seeking to democratize access to financial products and the companies whose names and equity are being represented on-chain
U.S. users cannot access these tokens due to regulatory restrictions.
Despite the warnings, BYD continues introducing new discounts. On Wednesday, BYD’s luxury off-road brand began offering over 50% Huawei’s smart driving tech.
BYD introduces new discounts on smart driving tech
After BYD cut prices again in May, the China Automobile Manufacturers Association (CAMA) warned that the ultra-low prices are “triggering a new round of price war panic.”
Although they didn’t single out BYD, it was pretty obvious. BYD slashed prices across 22 of its vehicles by up to 34%, triggering several automakers to follow suit in China.
BYD’s cheapest EV, the Seagull, typically starts at about $10,000 (66,800 yuan). After the price cuts, the Seagull is listed at under $8,000 (55,800 yuan).
It doesn’t look like China’s EV leader plans to slow down anytime soon. Fang Cheng Bao, BYD’s luxury off-road brand, introduced new discounts on Huawei’s smart driving tech on Wednesday.
The limited-time offer cuts the price of Huawei’s Qiankun Intelligent Driving High-end Function Package to just 12,000 yuan ($1,700).
Buyers who order the smart driving tech in July will save over 50% compared to its typical price of 32,000 yuan ($4,500).
Earlier this year, Fang Chang Bao launched the Tai 3, its most affordable vehicle, starting at 139,800 yuan ($19,300). The Tai 3 is about the size of the Tesla Model Y, but costs about half as much.
The Tai 3 will spearhead a new sub-brand of electric SUVs following the more premium Bao 8 and Bao 5 hybrid SUVs.
BYD’s luxury off-road brand sold 18,903 vehicles last month, up 50% from May and 605% compared to last year. Fang Cheng Bao has now sold over 10,000 vehicles for three consecutive months.
The Chinese EV giant sold 382,585 vehicles in total in June, an increase of 12% from last year. In the first half of the year, BYD’s cumulative sales reached over 2.1 million, a YOY increase of 33%.
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