Like an improv troupe, Baojun, a joint venture between China’s SAIC and Wuling, along with America’s General Motors, is saying “Yes, and” to its customer base, responding to feedback of slow sales by introducing a larger version of its tiny, rugged SUV, the Yep.
The Yep Plus adds two doors and some extra practicality to the cute SUV, of which Baojun managed to sell just 14,683 units in 2023. With a starting price of 83,800 yuan (around US$11,800 at current exchange rates), the company was doubtless hoping for more impressive sales.
With a 28.1 kWh battery pack, the standard Yep can go 188 miles (303 km) per charge, but has just 67 hp (50 kW/68 PS) and two doors. Although the size of the Yep Plus’s battery pack has not yet been revealed, the new four-door SUV will be capable of going 249 miles (401 km) per charge.
Read: The Baojun Yep Is A Tiny Electric SUV Starts At Just $11,240
To boost its performance, Baojun has upgraded the motor to produce 101 hp (75 kW/102 PS), enabling a top speed of 93 mph (150 km/h). The company undoubtedly aims to attract more buyers with this increased power and practicality.
Like the standard Yep, the Yep Plus has boxy, off-road-ready design, despite being intended for tightly-packed cities. With a two-tone paint job, it looks a bit like an even smaller Ford Bronco Sport.
Unfortunately, we don’t yet know what the interior will look like, but the Yep comes with a standard 10.25-inch touchscreen and an instrument screen that is the same size, making it a surprisingly tech-forward vehicle for its price. Unfortunately, the Yep Plus appears to have lost the trunk-mounted screen that Yep drivers can use to communicate with vehicles behind them, though it may be offered as an option.
The Yep Plus is expected to hit the Chinese market in the first quarter of 2024. Pricing information has not yet been revealed, but Chinese media report that it is expected to cost around 150,000 yuan (about US$21,100).
