Pre-Production DongFeng Box S31 Spotted in Malaysia – Launching Soon?

Several units of the pre-production Dongfeng Box EV have been spotted in Malaysia.

The local automotive market has seen lots of new playmakers from China come into the foray in recent months. This time around, it's Dongfeng’s turn, as several units of the Dongfeng Box S31 EV hatchback have been recently spotted in Malaysia. 

Upon further investigation, it turns out this fresh batch of Dongfeng Box was brought in by the Malay Vehicle Importers and Traders Association of Malaysia (PEKEMA), which was recently appointed as the official importer and distributor of the Dongfeng brand in Malaysia.

Several units of the pre-production Dongfeng Box EVs have been brought in by PEKEMA to undergo road tests.

Based on the information shared by one of PEKEMA’s members, Datuk Zul Amin, via his Facebook page, these Dongfeng Box EVs are actually pre-production units, and all of them will undergo several road tests before being launched into our market. He also added that these road tests will be conducted by Dongfeng China together with their Malaysian counterparts, where they will optimise the car’s ride and handling settings for the Malaysian roads.

A little background on this upcoming EV hatch, the Dongfeng Box S31, also known as the Dongfeng Nammi 01 in its native Chinese market, is a subcompact electric hatchback that made its debut last year at the Auto Guangzhou 2023 motor show. 

Positioned as Dongfeng’s entry-level EV product, the Nammi 01 comes in two variants, with the baseline Standard Range model getting a smaller 31.45-kWh LFP battery pack, while the top-spec Long Range variant comes with a bigger 42.3-kWh unit. Both powered by the same single FWD motor rated at 94 HP (70 kW) and 160 NM, the Standard Range model gets a maximum EV range of 330 KM (CLTC), while the Long Range variant gets a farther EV range of 430 KM (CLTC).

In terms of dimension, the Dongfeng Box S31 measures 4,030 MM long, 1,810 MM wide, 1,570 MM tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,660 MM. This put Dongfeng’s EV hatch right in the same category as the Neta V EV crossover hatch in terms of size, with the Box falling a few millimetres short of both the BYD Dolphin and MG4 EV.

Unlike the Neta V, the Dongfeng Box S31 stood as a sporter electric hatch of the two, featuring stylish design cues such as the frameless front doors with flush door handles and unique triangle LED headlights and taillights while riding on either 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels.

With the Dongfeng Box S31 units arriving here in Malaysia being pre-production units, we can’t be 100% sure what the final specs of the local unit will be. Besides becoming the local importer and distributor of the Dongfeng brand in Malaysia, PEKEMA has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NevX Manufacturing Sdn Bhd to explore the possibilities of locally assembling (CKD) the Dongfeng Box EVs in Malaysia.

So folks, what do you think of the new Dongfeng Box S31 EV hatch? Should PEKEMA and NevX be able to CKD this EV hatch, could this be the first EV sold in Malaysia to break the RM100,000 price cap? As always, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below…