Chevrolet Joy EV: GM confirms plans for cheap electric car with production in Ceará

General Motors confirmed that it is studying to launch an entry-level electric hatch in Brazil and is evaluating producing it in the country. The announcement was made on August 31 by the president of GM in South America, Thomas Owsianski, and deals with the first Chevrolet model designed to compete directly with the BYD Dolphin Mini and the Geely EX2, today the cheapest electric cars in the domestic market.

The car under study is derived from the Wuling Bingo Pro, a hatch sold in China and developed by SAIC-GM-Wuling, the joint venture that GM has with the Chinese state-owned SAIC. Autoesporte magazine had found, in mid-August, that Chevrolet had already communicated to the dealership network the intention to bring the model, now the confirmation came from a GM boss.

The name is not yet official, but the GM Authority website points out that the choice should be Joy or Joy EV. The baptism is not unprecedented: between 2019 and 2022, Chevrolet sold the first generation of the Onix as Joy, while the second generation lived in the same showroom.

What is already known about Bingo Pro

In China, the hatch measures 4.05 meters long, 1.76 m wide and 1.58 m high, with a wheelbase of 2.56 m — a size above the Dolphin Mini, which is less than 4 m. The front electric motor yields 88 hp, and there are two battery options: 32 kWh, with 330 km of autonomy, and 38 kWh, with 403 km, both in the Chinese CLTC cycle, more generous than the Brazilian one.

The configuration with a larger battery accepts fast recharging from 30% to 80% in about 15 minutes, according to Wuling. Both versions have V2L technology, which allows you to use the car as a socket for external devices, with up to 3.3 kW.

Ceará is the likely

destination If local production is approved, assembly should take place at the Ceará Automotive Plant (Pace), in Horizonte, installed in the shed that housed Troller and operated in partnership with Comexport. The unit has been assembling the Spark EUV since December 2025 and the Captiva EV since June 2026, both under SKD regime, with parts imported from China. The hatch would be the third model at the plant, with production scheduled for 2027, and GM has already signaled its intention to double the plant’s capacity, from 20 thousand to 40 thousand units per year.

Price is the biggest unknown. In China, Bingo Pro was launched in May this year between 58.5 thousand and 72.8 thousand yuan, the equivalent of something between R$ 42 thousand and R$ 52 thousand in direct conversion – an unfeasible level in Brazil because of the tax burden and import costs. GM did not inform values. For comparison purposes, the Dolphin Mini is priced at R$ 119.990, with promotions below that.