Mini EV Macaron
Mini EV Macaron in green
Ng Han Guan / AP Photo
  • General Motors has released a new range for its best-selling Hong Guang Mini EV in China.
  • The car now comes in three pastel shades, and the Mini EV Cabrio convertible is planned for 2022.
  • Sales of the Mini EV were reportedly nearly double that of Tesla's Model 3 in China during January.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

General Motors (GM) has released new, colorful versions of China's best-selling electric car, the tiny Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV.

State-backed SAIC-GM-Wuling, a company partly owned by GM, on Monday showed off models of the Mini EV Macaron, which is 115 inches, or 9.6 feet, long, and comes in three pastel colors: yellow, pink and green.

It's available to buy in China now for between $5,775 and $6,700. The regular Mini EV costs $4,400.

Models of the new Hong Guang Mini EV Macaron
Models of the new Hong Guang Mini EV Macaron in Shanghai
Zhe Ji/Getty Images

The model has extra safety features compared to the regular Mini EV, including a sound that plays when it travels at low speed to warn nearby pedestrians.

It can reach a top speed of 63 mph and travel up to 105 miles per charge, CNN reported.

Mini EV Macaron
Models of the new Hong Guang Mini EV Macaron in Shanghai
Zhe Ji/Getty Images

SAIC-GM-Wuling also unveiled a new convertible version, the Mini EV Cabrio, which will start production in 2022. It doesn't yet have a price.

Mini EV Cabrio
The Mini EV Cabrio convertible will go on sale in 2022
Zhe Ji/Getty Images

China is the world's largest car market. Demand for electric vehicles surged last year, and the region made up more than a fifth of Tesla's revenue. Chinese EV start-up Nio said its sales doubled in 2020.

GM said that 270,000 Hong Guang Mini EVs had been sold since its July 2020 release, in part thanks to its modest $4,400 starting price. It is outselling Tesla's Model 3 by nearly two to one, the BBC reported.

Tesla Model 3
Tesla Model 3
Feature China: Barcroft Media via Getty Images

The cheapest version of Tesla's Model 3 sells for $39,000, more than eight times the price of the Mini EV. Still, Tesla doubled its China sales to $6.66 billion in 2020.

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