On original schedule, Dongfeng’s entry model should have cost more by now. Instead it’s become cheaper.

THE seller of the country’s cheapest new electric remains unclear about whether the model has been discounted to an even lower price as a foreplay to it upgrading on safety features.

Launched last November at $29,990, with advice then that the sticker was limited-period and would climb to $32,990 early this year, the Dongfeng Box has instead discounted to $26,990.

The make’s distributor says this new sticker is a clearance sale special, ostensibly to move on 2025 stock. How many cars are involved is not shared.

The exercise runs to end of May, which is beyond when a price increase was expected to have installed under the original schedule. The stickers might catch the eye of those looking to switch to EV in wake of rising fuel prices caused by the Middle East conflict.

Box has been subject to media and consumer comment here for having landed with a low safety ingredient.

It is the first new passenger car of any kind sold here for years with just two frontal airbags. In many other markets, including in China, it can be bought up six airbags.

The current configuration was factory determined and not a local choice, the importer says.

It has not been received well in New Zealand, including by NZTA Waka Kotahi, which has determined the Box to be ‘unrated’ under the auspices of the Vehicle Safety Risk scoring system.

VSR scores are normally used for used import cars that do not have a star rating from the fully equitable Australasian or European New Car Assessment Programme independent tests, which both have higher validity with NZ legislators.

Dongfeng product lacks an ANCAP because the brand is not sold in Australia, where testing is conducted. The VSR assessment is far less rigorous.

Even with more safety features, the European version achieved a middling three star score from Euro NCAP, with some manufacturing concerns noted.

Auto Distributors NZ, the importer, said last month it was working to achieve the small city-centric model with more airbags, but cannot say when that might happen.

It continued that message today, when asked: “Is the special reduced price on MY2025 Dongfeng Box simply about clearing out older stock, or doe its signal that an improved 2026 edition with a higher level of safety ingredients is incoming?”

In reply, a spokesman said: “ADNZ is in discussions with Dongfeng regarding specification enhancements.

“We are making good progress but have nothing to share at this point.”

The Box still has a host of modern active crash avoidance technologies - all of which act to prevent an incident - and is more richly specified for comfort features than other cars in its price range, all of which are petrol powered.