Dongfeng’s Venucia brand will launch an all-new electric vehicle at the Shanghai Auto Show next week.
The truth is that we expected the new car to debut with a Renault badge first as the City K-ZE. However, the electric Kwid-based EV in Venucia’s lineup that has been named the e30 got first dibs.
The Chinese automaker already had a car called the e30 in its lineup that’s a rebadged previous-generation Nissan Leaf. For the second-generation, though, it appears that they have opted for the electric Renault Kwid instead as, in the only image released so far, the e30 looks exactly like the upcoming French small crossover.
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The only significant changes compared to the non-electric Kwid appear to have been made at the front, where the e30 features Venucia’s corporate grille, a new front bumper and restyled headlights. The electric crossover also features blue accents on the front bumper and the side skirts.
The e30 could preview the design of the Renault City K-ZE, which will also debut in Shanghai. It remains to be seen if that’s the case or Renault’s version will feature a distinct front end to differentiate it from the Chinese brand’s EV. Both the City K-ZE and the e30 are based on Renault Nissan’s CMF-A platform, and they can cover around 250 km (155 miles) on a single charge as per NEDC standard.
Besides the e30, Venucia will also reveal a concept SUV at the Shanghai show, as well as two other production models, namely the electric versions of the T60 crossover and D60 sedan. The brand was born in 2010 as a joint venture between Dongfeng and Nissan and in February 2017, it brand became a standalone company wholly owned by Dongfeng, though the Renault Nissan Alliance ties are obviously still in place.
