With the shrinking mini-car market, fewer consumers are showing interest in purchasing small cars. The primary demographic for small hatchbacks consists largely of young women who need vehicles for daily commutes and leisure trips. Currently, among joint venture hatchback small cars, Polo and Fit dominate sales, while Vios FS also performs well. Other small hatchbacks see monthly sales figures of just one or two thousand units, or sometimes even lower.
A notable example is the Chevrolet Lova RV, which comes standard with features like ESP and an Aisin automatic transmission. As a joint venture hatchback, its monthly sales stand at a modest 183 units. Hatchbacks tend to offer more dynamic performance compared to sedans, while maintaining adequate space for practical use. Pricing-wise, they are competitively affordable. Joint venture brands' small cars typically range between 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, whereas independent brands hover around 50,000 yuan.
In June, Polo's sales reached approximately 1,600 units, closely followed by Fit with around 9,000 units. The Chevrolet Sail, a sedan, managed over 8,000 units in monthly sales. Interestingly, Chevrolet also offers a hatchback small car, positioned as an RV SUV, known as the Le Feng RV. This model competes on a different price tier in Europe.
The Le Feng RV is a China-specific model under the Chevrolet brand, featuring a hatchback design and a length of 4.2 meters, surpassing Polo, Fit, and Hyundai in size. Its wheelbase measures 2,550 mm, exceeding both Polo and Fit, giving it significant advantages in terms of body dimensions, particularly in trunk space.
Equipped with a 1.5-liter engine, the Le Feng RV offers a 5-speed manual transmission for the base model and three automatic variants paired with Aisin's 4-speed automatic transmission. While the Aisin transmission is reliable, the 4-speed auto might feel slightly outdated compared to competitors like Polo’s 6-speed automatic or Fit’s CVT. Nonetheless, for urban driving, the 4-speed auto generally suffices.
The Le Feng RV holds its own in terms of features, offering standard ESP, hill-start assist, and engine stop-start technology across all models. Except for the entry-level trim, it also includes a sunroof. The top-tier model boasts four airbags, a rearview camera, and tire pressure monitoring.
Despite these offerings, the Le Feng RV's sales have been lackluster, with only 183 units sold in June, placing it near the bottom in joint venture small car rankings.
One major drawback for the Le Feng RV is its styling, which appears dated and bloated, lacking refinement. Additionally, the interior design feels uninspired and somewhat cheap. From a price perspective, the Le Feng RV’s starting MSRP ranges from 74,900 to 99,900 yuan, comparable to popular models like Fit. However, its technological and design aspects fall short compared to the Fit. On the branding front, Chevrolet has struggled in China recently, losing ground to Volkswagen and Honda.
Currently, the Le Feng RV sees substantial discounts, bringing the starting price down to roughly 60,000 yuan and the top trim to over 80,000 yuan. Nevertheless, given this pricing and the product’s limitations, sales remain challenging. In the Chinese market, brand image and vehicle aesthetics carry significant weight. When both are weak, compensating solely through price and configuration proves insufficient.
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