Can you call it an EV-only showroom if there’s only one sort of EV in it? Technically, yes. Online smart home store mUther has unveiled a store that sells only EVs — a first for South Africa, apparently. The first (and only, at least to start with) vehicle to grace the Boksburg facility’s floor is the Dongfeng Nammi Box (most references dispense with the ‘Nammi’).
mUther
The store is called the mUther Xperience Hub (someone better get Chris Claremont on the line for uniform designs). The store, the creation of company head Alex Staniland, opened its doors on 17 November and aims to “really shake up the EV space locally.”
How? By eventually offering other EVs from the company that makes the Box, Dongfeng. These models are not yet listed, but could include the Vigo, the Mage EV, or the 007, although we’d expect the former two before the latter. It’s almost a pity that mUther seems so focused on EVs. Where else would we see vehicles like the Huge, Rich 6, or a whole bunch of Captains (and Tractors, which, oddly, aren’t)?
Back to the supremely Chinese EV, the Dongfeng Box. The little compact boasts a range of 430km per charge of its 42.3kWh battery pack, and a top speed of 140km/h in its upgraded form. A less-capable model, featuring a 30.6kWh battery and a range of up to 330km, is also available. Both seem to feature the same 160Nm 70kW motors doing all of the roadwork.
The cabin, at least in the left-hand drive Chinese version, seems like an interesting place to spend your time. There’s a minimalist design there, while the quilted trim offers something different in terms of design. We’d expect this sort of thing from a car that drives itself, but it’ll also be interesting to get behind the wheel ourselves.
Pricing for the new EV isn’t yet available. The official website’s countdown suggests those details will emerge sometime around 29 or 30 December this year.
