After the original Tesla Roadster, the market for new electric sports cars just kinda stopped. In the somewhat attainable realm, meaning not a hypercar or supercar, nobody was really looking into that niche, and it left us wondering who’d fill that void. The MG Cyberster is neat, but it also weighs as much as a medium-sized building. A two-ton sports car? I don’t think so. For a while, it looked like Porsche would be the first player here, but between setbacks in Germany and advancements in China, the forthcoming electric Porsche 718 isn’t the first truly modern reasonably attainable electric sports car. Instead, it’s something from tuner Feng Xiaotong with assistance from Xiaomi-backed EV company JMEV called the Small Sports Car SC01, and it looks spectacular.
The first thing you need to know about the Small Sports Car SC01 is that its name actually means something. At 161.7 inches long, it splits the difference between a Mazda MX-5 and a Toyota GR86, rides on a 2.9-inch shorter wheelbase than the GR86, has a roofline 2.5 inches shorter than that of an MX-5, and sits wide — 72 inches across. Add it all up, and yeah, that’s small. Then there’s the weight. Even with an electric powertrain, the Small Sports Car SC01 weighs just 3,009 pounds. That’s nearly 150 pounds less than a flat-six-powered Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0, and the way it got there is classic sports car stuff.
It starts with the chassis — not a monocoque or a fancy carbon tub, but an old-fashioned tubular spaceframe. Think Countach, Ariel Atom, and the gullwing Mercedes-Benz 300SL. It’s not fancy aluminum either, but instead chromoly steel, a time-honored tradition still used in some forms of racing today. Then there’s the battery pack, a somewhat small but still adequate 60 kWh unit that isn’t under the floor like in most EVs, but instead stacked behind the passengers. This allows for a lower driving position and while it does raise the center of gravity, a 15-inch center of gravity is three inches lower than in a Toyota GR86, and nobody’s accused that thing of being top-heavy.
Let’s turn back to the high-voltage system for a second because despite the 60 kWh battery pack, range actually seems reasonable. The SC01 claims to be good for 323 miles on China’s CLTC cycle, and while that definitely doesn’t translate to EPA figures, it’s about 50 miles short of what a long-range Volkswagen ID.4 is good for, and that’s rated at 291 miles of range on the EPA cycle. That sort of rough ballpark isn’t bad for a sports car. Plus, with dual electric motors kicking out 429 horsepower, the all-wheel-drive SC01 should scoot to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. I get that acceleration isn’t the main selling point here, but it’s nice to know this thing’s bonkers quick.
Oh, but straight-line speed isn’t even remotely the most interesting part of the Small Sports Car SC01. It has pushrod-actuated double-wishbone suspension at all four corners and comes with adjustable dampers, so owners can dial in their preferred settings. It rolls on magnesium wheels weighing just 13-pounds each, and six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers clamping 13.8-inch discs should offer serious braking capacity. No gimmicks here, just a no-nonsense trend that even extends to the interior.
Inside the SC01, you get three knobs for your climate control, a bank of cockpit-style switches in the windshield header rail, a digital gauge cluster, six speakers, a mechanical handbrake, and that’s about it. No central infotainment screen, no ambient lighting, no bloat. All the interior money’s been spent on some nice speaker grilles, some carbon seats, and actual buttons, exactly what sports car people want.
Now it’s time to get to the best bit. In its home market of China, the Small Sports Car SC01 costs around $31,900. No, that’s not a typo. Even with a 100 percent tariff, this thing would still be competitive in America, filling a price gap between models like the Nissan Z and Chevrolet Corvette, while also giving Lotus some interesting competition. While a huge part of the SC01 coming to market is China’s bonkers investment in EVs, it does make you wonder what future electric sports cars from Western automakers might look like. Hopefully like this, although I doubt you’ll see an electric Porsche or Lotus for under $32,000 anytime soon.
Top graphic credit: Small Sports Car
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Fun fact, Renault holds a 50% stake in JMEV. So there might still be a way for the SC01 to make it to the west, probably as an Alpine.
The interior is cribbed from Mazda, and the rear from a 20-year-old Corvette.
The Miata was designed to recreate the look, feel, fun and handling of the classic British sports cars, without the leaks and breakdowns.
This Chinese design is interesting and creative, but it certainly is not a Miata.
I want THIS…
…but more narrow, lower roof, more reclined occupant positions, and greatly more aerodynamically streamlined(< 0.3 m^2 CdA), with about 200 lbs less battery mass and 300 lbs less vehicle mass(due to vehicle size shrinkage), but same horsepower.
Think less Miata dimensions/proportions, more Alfa Romeo Disco Volante coupe dimensions/proportions. Except batshit insane powerful like a TVR. Should have 40 kWh on board coming in at under 2,500 lbs and getting 300+ miles range at 70 mph.
If this were available in the US for under $60k, I’d be very tempted. It is 500+ lbs heavier than I’d like.
In that case I suggest you go for the Miata.
Since this isn’t a vehicle that is 500 pounds lighter than you want.
Or perhaps a McLaren, they seem to be pretty light as well.
A Miata equivalent this is not. My ND weighs in at 2,300 lbs…700 lbs less than this car. The SC01 is roughly 30% heavier than a current Miata.
I get the GR86 comparison, I suppose, but this is not a lightweight vehicle. I do agree it’s a huge step in the the right direction though.
Miatas don’t have 429 hp and won’t go from 0-100 in 2.9s. This is a different car.
In China there are near zero Miatas/MX5s. Only supercars come close to this power/weight ratio and while, say, a Tesla is very fast, it isn’t a sports car. This is.
With it’s acceleration it can actually challenge many supercars from the last decade.
That is extremely laudable.
Too bad we will never see it in the US nor at this price point.
This is the first electric car that I stopped and thought I may like to own that some day… Yet another reason that I am happy to be living in China!