The Dongfeng Box electric city runabout has landed in South Africa, and Watts & Wheels has taken the vehicle – one of the cheapest electric cars currently on sale in the country – for a test drive.

One of China’s biggest and oldest motoring manufacturers, the state-owned Dongfeng Motor Corporation has identified South Africa as a key export market and, through E Auto Motor, has launched the brand in South Africa – starting with the Dongfeng Box, whose pricing begins at R460 000.

Watts & Wheels hosts William Kelly and Duncan McLeod take the Box for a drive around Johannesburg and share their thoughts on this intriguing and relatively low-cost hatchback designed for urban and city driving.

Also in this final episode of the three-part pilot season of Watts & Wheel, William and Duncan get animated about:

• The state of the EV charging infrastructure market in South Africa – and is it getting overtraded?;

• A new report on EV sales in South Africa over the next five years;

• Chery’s reporting plans to build a car plant in South Africa;

• The challenges at Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s East London production plant, especially in the light of US President Donald Trump’s tariff wars;

• Tesla’s challenge to the like of Waymo – a look at Elon Musk’s determination to win in autonomous ride-hailing services;

• Xiaomi’s beautiful YU7 and how it’s going toe-to-toe with Tesla in China;

• What’s happening at Porsche; and

• Christian Horner’s exit at Red Bull Racing.

Don’t miss this episode. TechCentral