Start with what the JAC Yiwei 3 is: a 5-door hatchback, built from 2023, in the decade the industry is turning electric. What it meant takes a little longer.
The story
The JAC Yiwei 3, also known as the EV3 or E30X depending on the market, is a battery electric subcompact hatchback produced by JAC Group that was unveiled in April 2023, and has been produced since June 2023. It is the first vehicle to be sold under the Yiwei sub-brand.
What is underneath
the output is 60 kW. On the scales it comes to 1270-1445 kg. That is roughly 47 horsepower per tonne: leisurely, which for a car of its age and purpose is the point. Drive goes through a 1-speed direct-drive. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2620 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
In the JAC Group line-up the JAC Yiwei 3 has a clear place: the factory was China. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the BYD Seagull, the Jeep Avenger, the Proton S70. Nearby in the JAC Group catalogue sit the Heyue A20 and the Heyue A30.