Renault City K-ZE

The Renault City K-ZE is an all-electric city car manufactured and sold in China since 2019. It is notable for its low price, starting at less than $8,700 after incentives.[1]

Renault City K-ZE
Overview
ManufacturerRenault, Nissan, Dongfeng
Also called
  • Renault K-ZE
  • Dacia Spring
  • Venucia e30
  • Dongfeng Aeolus EX1
  • Dongfeng Fengxing T1
  • Dongfeng Fengguang E1
Production2019–present
Model years2019–present
AssemblyeGT New Energy Automotive in Shiyan, Hubei, China
Body and chassis
Classcrossover city car
Body style5-door hatchback
LayoutFront motor, front-wheel drive
RelatedRenault Kwid
Powertrain
Power output33 kW (44 hp)
Battery26.8 kWh Li-ion
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,423 mm (95.4 in)
Length3,740 mm (147.2 in)
Width1,580 mm (62.2 in)
Height1,480 mm (58.3 in)

Overview

The car is manufacured in a facility in Shiyan, Hubei owned by eGT New Energy Automotive, a joint venture between Dongfeng, Renault and Nissan.[2][3] It is related to the low-cost, ICE-powered Renault Kwid which is sold in India and Brazil. It utilizes a variant of Renault-Nissan's CMF platform named CMF-A.

Sales in China started in 2019, and the vehicle is not currently sold in other markets.

In October 2019, Gilles Normand, head of the EV department in Renault, indicated that a version for Europe was in the works.[4][5] This version was revealed as Dacia Spring in March 2020, during an online event (because of the cancellation of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show).

Specifications
Renault City K-ZE rear view

The vehicle uses a 26.8 kWh lithium ion battery and is powered by a 44 hp (33 kW), 125 N⋅m (92 lb⋅ft) front-mounted electric motor driving the front wheels.

DC fast charging from 0% to 80% takes 50 minutes.[1]

The EPA range is not given and can be estimated at around 100 miles (160 km); this is based on the car's NEDC range and the ratio of the EPA range to the NEDC range available for another BEV city car, the Smart EQ Fortwo.[6][7] While the car is rated at 168 miles (271 km) in China,[1] this is based on the NEDC cycle, no longer in use in Europe as it gives wildly inaccurate results, especially for EVs.

Optional equipment includes an infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen, a backup camera and manual air conditioning.[1] A smartphone app allows remote monitoring of the vehicle's status.[8]

Pricing and reception
...this entry-level electric vehicle (EV) looks set to become the real “Tesla Killer” simply because it’s the cheapest EV anywhere. The cheapest version of this Renault baby retails for a mere $8,700, or four times cheaper than the cheapest Tesla. Contrast that with the cheapest Tesla Model 3 with its $38,990 price tag and the $29,990 price for the Nissan Leaf...

the International Business Times[8]

With the price starting at 61,800 yuan ($8,650) after incentives,[1] this electric car is very cheap by Western standards.

The car represents a category of budget electric city cars popular in China, but practically nonexistent in the West; among these, it is probably the first one carrying a badge of a Western marque. Prices of EVs in general are much lower in China than in the US or Europe, and they exhibit a downward trend while in the West they show an upward trend: a report by JATO Dynamics shows that an all-electric car priced at $1 in 2011 would now cost $0.52 in China, but $1.42 in Europe and $1.55 in the US.[9]

The car was launched in China on September 10, 2019.[8]

The International Business Times wrote that it looks set to become the real "Tesla Killer" simply because of its low price,[8] while erroneously stating it's the cheapest EV in the world (there are even cheaper EVs in China).

Venucia e30
Venucia e30

Alongside the production version of the City K-ZE, Dongfeng Nissan showed off their version of an electric Kwid under the Venucia brand in the form of the e30. The e30 is essentially a badge engineered City K-ZE, sharing the same basic powertrain and design. The e30 name was previously used on another badged engineered EV based on the first generation Nissan Leaf.

References
  1. "Renault City K-ZE Available In China For Less Than $9,000". InsideEVs.
  2. magazine, Le Point (August 29, 2017). "Renault-Nissan crée une nouvelle entreprise avec Dongfeng en Chine". Le Point.
  3. Nouvelle, L'Usine (April 16, 2019). "Renault mise sur son SUV électrique City K-ZE pour conquérir la Chine - Constructeurs" – via www.usinenouvelle.com. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Renault K-ZE : l'électrique low-cost en route pour l'Europe". Caradisiac.com.
  5. "La Renault K-ZE va arriver en France". October 28, 2019.
  6. "Smart EQ fortwo coupe". EV Database.
  7. "2017 smart fortwo electric drive coupe". www.fueleconomy.gov.
  8. Villasanta, Arthur (September 10, 2019). "Tesla Killer Renault K-ZE Electric Could Be Cheapest EV Yet, Price Starts At $8,700". International Business Times.
  9. Ltd, Motionlab Marketing (December 12, 2019). "EV prices have been growing during the last 8 years". JATO.
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