The cheapest car in Brazil, which is electric and imported from China, has its sales officially suspended. The model in question is the JMEV Emova Easy, sold for the price of R$ 69,990 and brought to the country by E-Motors, which decided to temporarily paralyze the operation due to a significant escalation in import costs.
The situation was initially disclosed exclusively by Jornal do Carro, which reported the receipt of orders with the payment of the reserve deposit by the company. However, with the importation of the vehicles interrupted, the amount paid by the buyers was fully reversed.
In an interview with AutoPapo, Mercídio Givisiez, CEO of E-Motors Brasil, gave clues about the company’s plans to market both the cheapest model in the country and its bigger brother, the Emova Urban, which is also electric and is priced at R$ 99,990.
Logistics issues were the reason for the suspension of sales
The strategic decision to stop trading is directly linked to the sudden and exponential increase in international sea freight. According to Mercidio Givisiez, CEO of E-Motors Brasil, the value of transporting vehicles has skyrocketed in recent months and the competition to import products from China has also grown a lot.
At first, the executive pointed out that he tried to bring the models through Roll on-Roll Off ships, or Ro-Ro, aimed at rolling loads and that cause less damage to the products. However, there were no vacancies in this environment, so the company had to resort to containers, which are also with high occupancy and a significant price increase.
“The 40-foot container cost US$1,800 at the beginning of the year and now reaches US$10,200, making it impossible to import the models that had already been ordered at our factory in China,” explained the CEO of E-motors Brasil. He considers that the atypical freight situation is due to the new Import Tax (II) rate for all electrified cars arriving in Brazil, which rose to 35% as of July 1st.
Despite the setback, E-Motors will not give up on the Brazilian market or change its prices
Even with the temporary freeze on imports, the brand has assured that it will not leave the country and the plan is to wait for a normalization or reduction in the prohibitive costs of international freight. As soon as the logistics scenario stabilizes, the importer plans to bring the vehicles that had already been ordered from the Chinese manufacturer.
Mercídio Givisiez also comments on the forecast for imports:
This freight situation was a surprise. I knew about the increase in the import tax, but not the freight and the difference is very big. So, we just have to wait for the freight to normalize and we already know that this should happen between August and September. And around January or February there will be a definitive solution to this problem so that it is no longer necessary to depend on this transport and freight situation. Until then, we will always bring the car and sell it.”
Although the executive stated that such a definitive solution cannot yet be disclosed, he reinforced that the values already announced for vehicles of R$ 69,990 (Emova Easy) and R$ 99,990 (Emova Urban), will be maintained, absorbing the impacts of the new 35% tax without passing on the adjustment to the final price.
The transportation problem, however, should affect the company’s expansion planning. E-Motors’ initial goal for 2026 was to sell 1,000 electric cars in Brazil and open up to 30 points of sale. At the moment, the expansion plan is frozen and, for now, the company has only one physical dealership in operation, located in the city of Pedro Leopoldo (MG).
EMOVA Easy is the cheapest car in Brazil
The EMOVA Easy acts as the brand’s entry option and is available from R$ 69.990. The super compact 100% electric hatch is equipped with a 15.9 kWh LFP (Lithium-Iron-Phosphate), capable of delivering an average range of 201 km and an engine that provides 41 hp of power and torque of 8.6 kgfm.
Model, previously named EV2, is a super compact electric smaller than the Fiat Mobi and with an average range of 200 km.
With only 3.50 meters in length and four seats, the model focuses on urban agility and ease of maneuvering, being smaller than the Fiat Mobi. JMEV and E-Motors also promise simple and economical maintenance, an 8-year warranty for the battery and a 3-year warranty for the vehicle.
Due to the reduced price, the model does not have many standard items, but offers air conditioning, electric steering, on-board computer, ABS brakes and electric locks and windows. It is also possible to install a reversing and 360º camera, multimedia center, digital instrument panel, driving assistants, electronic stability control, fast charging (DC) system and keyless start system, which make up the list of options.
EMOVA Urban comes soon after and is the second cheapest electric car in the country
The brand also offers the EMOVA Urban for R$ 99.990 with a proposal aimed at the city, as the name makes clear, and to serve corporate fleets. The five-seater model features a 30.2 kWh battery, a range of up to 300 km and a liquid-cooled engine that delivers 68 hp, 12.7 kgfm of torque and a top speed of 110 km/h.
The five-seater model is larger and has an average range of 330 km.
The equipment list is simple just like the Emova Easy model, and the option package is also the same.
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