- Dongfeng is expanding its presence in Europe by launching a new affordable subcompact EV.
- The Dongfeng Nammi Box is expected to cost less than €20,000 ($22,200) in some markets, depending on options and trim.
- Dongfeng is reportedly considering opening a manufacturing location in Italy.
Chinese automaker Dongfeng sold over 2 million vehicles in 2023, but hardly any of them made it to Europe. That will change with the introduction of the Nammi Box, a subcompact EV whose price promises to undercut all other similar-size rivals available on the continent, like the Peugeot e-208.
The Nammi Box can currently be reserved in Switzerland, where it starts at CHF 21,990, or about €23,000 and $25,660. German websites expect it to cost less than €20,000 ($22,200) when it hits the local market while in Norway, it is expected it to cost NOK 189,000, which is about €16,200 or $18,000, according to Automotive News.
In its native China, this car is known as the Nammi 01, and it start at 79,800 yuan. That’s just over €10,000, but, as we know, cars are considerably cheaper in China, and their price gets inflated by both markup and tariffs before they reach Europe. One way around this would be to build its cars in Europe, which Dongfeng is considering, according to a recent Reuters report.
For the money, you get a credible-looking small EV that looks quite European in its design with an Asian twist. It looks quite rounded and not aggressive, but it has a couple of premium touches like a floating contrasting roof, flush door handles and frameless windows. Inside, it looks as good as you would expect a vehicle in this class to look, with a diamond-quilted dashboard focused around a big 12-inch central touchscreen. The driver gets a separate 5-inch display.
It even has a raised floating center tunnel console with storage underneath, as you would find in some Hyundai, Kia and even BMW models. Unlike cars from those manufacturers, though, which have buttons and controls on top of this console, the Nammi Box has its wireless phone charger here instead.
One detail that clearly marks this out as a car coming from China is its ability to turn its interior into a bed by removing the front seat headrests and lowering them until they meet the seat part of the rear bench. This isn’t something offered by any European cars but it’s quite common in China.
Gallery: Dongfeng Nammi Box
The Nammi Box is built on Dongfeng’s own platform called S1. The manufacturer won’t offer the smaller 31.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack in Europe and is likely to only sell the Box with the larger 42.3 kWh pack that provides a claimed WLTP range of 193 miles. Both battery packs feature LFP cells.
With a motor providing 94 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque going to the front wheels, it’s not going to be particularly quick, but it’s enough to keep it competitive among its European rivals. Its top speed is 87 mph (140 km/h), which is adequate for highway driving.
Dongfeng chose Switzerland as the first European country to receive the Nammi Box because it already has a presence there. Its Voyah premium brand offers Swiss buyers the Free SUV and Dream people carrier, both of which are electric and have batteries with over 100 kWh of capacity.
