Beijing '08 Preview: Great Wall Peri EV

It would seem that a green theme will be present when Auto China 2008 kicks off in Beijing on Saturday. We've already seen BYD's e6 concept, and next up is an electric version of the Great Wall Peri. The Peri is the car that raised the ire of Fiat due to its strong resemblance to the Panda. Copycatting arguments aside, the Peri EV concept is pretty self-explanatory: it's an electric Peri driven by a 50 kW electric motor. With lithium-ion batteries supplying power, the Peri EV is claimed to have a maximum operating range of 180 kilometers (111 miles), a top speed of 130 km/h (80 mph), and an operating cost of under 100 yuan ($1.43 USD) per 100 kilometers. The reported 70 percent charge in 10 minutes sounds a shade optimistic, however. We expect to hear full details about the Peri EV concept as the show gets underway this weekend.

[Sources: Autoblog Chinese, Autoblog Spanish]