The Renault K-ZE is an all-electric city car for under 10,000 euros

 The Renault K-ZE electric car is manufactured in Shiyan (Hubei, Chine) by eGT New Energy Automotive, a joint venture between Dongfeng, Renault and Nissan. It is related to the low-cost, ICE-powered Renault Kwid, which is sold in India and Brazil. It is built on a variant of Renault-Nissan's CMF platform named CMF-A. The Common Module Family (CMF) is a modular architecture platform produced by Nissan and Renault through their Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance company.



Sales in China started in 2019, and the electric 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. The Renault City K-ZE was rebranded as Dacia Spring Electric in March 2020 during an online event (because of the cancellation of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show).

The Renault K-ZE electric car uses a 26.8 kWh lithium-ion battery and is powered by a 44 hp (33 kW) electric motor, 125 N⋅m (92 lb-ft) front-mounted electric motor driving the front wheels. DC fast charging from 0% to 80% takes 50 minutes.

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. While the electric car is rated at 168 miles (271 km) in China, this is based on the NEDC cycle, no longer in use in Europe as it gives wildly inaccurate results, especially for EVs.

Optional accessories include an infotainment system with an 8-inch digital screen, a backup camera and manual air conditioning. In addition, a smartphone app permits remote monitoring of the electric vehicle's status.

With the price starting at 61,000 yuan (8,100 euros) after government incentives, this electric car is very cheap by Occidental norms; it's even cheaper than a Dacia Spring electric car.

The car represents a category of cheap electric city cars very popular in China but almost nonexistent in Europe; among these, it is the first one carrying a badge of an Occidental brand. Prices of electric cars, 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.

The Renault K-ZE electric car was launched in China on September 10, 2019.

The International Business Times wrote that it looks set to become the real "Tesla Killer" simply because of its low price, while erroneously stating it's the most affordable EV in the world. There are cheaper electric cars in China, such as the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV.

The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is an all-electric mini-car manufactured by SAIC-GM-Wuling since 2020. Retail deliveries began in China in July 2020, and, as of January 2021, sales since inception totalled 160,000 units. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV electric car is equipped with a 9.2 kWh battery capable of an NEDC range of 120 km or a 13.8kWh battery capable of an NEDC range of 170 km.



Alongside the Renault City K-ZE production version, Dongfeng Nissan showed off their version of an electric Kwid under the Venucia brand in the form of the e30 electric car. 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.

Dongfeng-Fengshen or Aeolus unveiled the EX1 electric car during the 2019 Chengdu Auto Show. It is a rebadged variant of the Renault City K-ZE and has the same all-electric range of 271 km (168 miles) in the NEDC cycle. The pre-sale price range of the EX1 after subsidies is 70,000 to 80,000 yuan. The EX1 electric car is powered by an electric motor with a maximum power output of 33 kW (44 hp).

Venucia is a car brand of Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company (Dongfeng Nissan), a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. The marque was launched in September 2010 by Dongfeng Nissan. From February 2017 until 2020, Venucia was spun off from Dongfeng Nissan as a separate Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. subsidiary focused on promoting and manufacturing cars, with the name Dongfeng Venucia Motor Company. In December 2020, Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd published it would absorb Venucia back into Dongfeng Nissan.

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