FAW Bestune launched the five-door Bestune Xiaoma (Pony) on the evening of 28 October 2026. It keeps the small car's single 30 kW rear motor and four seats, but adds rear doors, grows 350 mm in length and moves to a CATL lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery in two sizes: 16.97 kWh for 222 km and 27.19 kWh for 328 km on China's CLTC cycle. Official guide prices run from CNY 44,900 (about $6,735 at 6.6664 CNY per US dollar, the ECB rate of 28 October 2026) to CNY 54,900 (about $8,235), and a limited-time launch price takes CNY 5,000 off every trim, starting at CNY 39,900 (about $5,985). The new body adds rear doors and standard DC fast charging on every trim, while the three-door stays on sale alongside it.
Performance & Specs
A single permanent-magnet synchronous motor sits at the rear axle and drives the rear wheels. Its peak output is 30 kW, which is 41 PS or about 40 hp (30 kW x 1.341), and its peak torque is 92 N·m according to the Chinese launch reports from Kuai Keji (MyDrivers) and NetEase; the three-door, still on sale, is quoted at 90 Nm. There is no official 0 to 100 km/h time and no top speed in the launch material we read, and the launch reports give no kerb weight. CarNewsChina lists a top speed of 103 km/h, a single-source figure that fits the 100 km/h quoted for the three-door. With 30 kW this is a city car in every sense, built for short trips and parking rather than for acceleration or the motorway.
| Powertrain | Single-motor RWD BEV |
|---|---|
| Power | 30 kW (41 PS / 40 hp) |
| Torque | 92 Nm |
| 0–100 km/h | Not published |
| Battery | 16.97 / 27.19 kWh LFP (CATL) |
| Range | 222 / 328 km CLTC |
| POWERTRAIN TYPE | Battery electric (BEV), single rear motor |
|---|---|
| HORSEPOWER | 30 kW (41 PS / 40 hp) |
| TORQUE | 92 Nm |
| ACCELERATION | Not published |
| TOP SPEED | Not given in the launch reports (CarNewsChina lists 103 km/h) |
| DRIVETRAIN | RWD |
| BATTERY | 16.97 kWh LFP (222 km) / 27.19 kWh LFP (328 km), CATL |
| ELECTRIC RANGE | 222 km or 328 km CLTC (China) |
Dimensions & Practicality
| Length | 3,350 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,540 mm |
| Height | 1,600 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,215 mm |
| Boot | 265 L (1,052 L folded) |
The five-door is 3,350 mm long, 1,540 mm wide and 1,600 mm high on a 2,215 mm wheelbase, which is 350 mm longer, 30 mm wider and 262 mm longer between the axles than the three-door. Most of that growth goes to rear legroom and the new rear doors, and the boot is larger: Chinese launch reports give 265 litres with the rear seats up and 1,052 litres with the 5/5-split rear seatbacks folded, plus a 6-litre box under the floor. It is still a four-seater. The front seatbacks recline to 170 degrees, which together with the folded rear seats makes the sofa-bed mode FAW advertises. The minimum turning circle is quoted as 4.45 to 4.5 metres, and the reports disagree on ground clearance, with 157 mm in one and 130 mm in another, so we leave it out of the table.
| LENGTH | 3,350 mm |
|---|---|
| WIDTH | 1,540 mm |
| HEIGHT | 1,600 mm |
| WHEELBASE | 2,215 mm |
| SEATS | 4 (five doors) |
| CARGO VOLUME | 265 L (1,052 L seats folded) plus 6 L underfloor box |
Charging & Battery
Both batteries are CATL lithium iron phosphate packs rated IP68, and both support DC fast charging on a 400V system: FAW quotes 30 to 80 percent in about 30 minutes for every trim, which is a step up from the three-door, where Chinese reports put fast charging on some upper trims only, and disagreed on which. The smaller 16.97 kWh pack gives 222 km CLTC and the 27.19 kWh pack gives 328 km. CLTC is the most generous of the major test cycles. CarNewsChina lists a WLTP range of 182 to 269 km for the five-door, a single-source figure, and we found no independent real-world range test of the new car yet, so buyers should plan around the lower figures rather than 222 or 328 km. The launch reports give no AC charging time.
| BATTERY | CATL LFP, 16.97 kWh or 27.19 kWh, IP68 |
|---|---|
| ARCHITECTURE | 400V |
| AC CHARGING | Not published |
| DC FAST CHARGING | Standard on all trims |
| DC 30-80% TIME | About 30 min |
Design & Interior
The five-door keeps the toy-like face of the three-door and tidies it: the closed panel between the headlamps and the centre of the front bumper are now body-coloured instead of black, the door handles are half-hidden, the wheels carry new body-coloured covers and a FAW badge replaces the old tailgate badge. There are five body colours, persimmon orange, ice-coconut blue, green-grape jade, milk-coffee brown and cheese white, and two interior colour schemes, a relaxed grey and a deep green. Inside, every trim has a full LCD instrument cluster and a two-spoke multifunction steering wheel, and the upper trims add a 10.1-inch floating central screen. The official pictures show a clean cabin with chunky controls, and the rear bench folds to a flat floor.
Technology & Features
The Ping'an Ma and Ruyi Ma trims have the 10.1-inch screen at 1280 x 720, a dual-zone AI voice assistant that supports continuous conversation, an automatic headlight function and a Bluetooth phone key that can be shared with up to 15 phones; the entry trims keep a 7-inch instrument display, and Smzdm reports the 10.1-inch screen as an option on them. Phone mirroring covers Huawei HiCar and ICCOA Carlink at launch, and FAW says Apple CarPlay will follow in an update in early 2027. Chinese reports add an 18 W USB-C port, a 12 V socket, four speakers with an external speaker for text-to-speech and a six-way power driver's seat with three-level heating, although they do not say which trim carries which item.
Safety & ADAS
Two front airbags are standard, according to the NetEase launch report. FAW says 63 percent of the body is high-strength steel with 2,200 MPa hot-formed door beams, and that the structure was reworked around three new Chinese safety rules that take effect in July 2026. Chinese outlets (Smzdm) report that ESC stability control is standard only on the Ping'an Ma and Ruyi Ma, which also get rear disc brakes, while the Kuaile Ma and Chengyi Ma have no stability control; a CNY 1,500 ESC safety pack is reported as an option for the Chengyi Ma. One Sina report says none of the five-door trims has AEB. The launch reports mention no crash-test rating, so ask the dealer to confirm the exact trim's equipment before ordering.
| ADAS LEVEL | Not stated in launch reports |
|---|---|
| ADAS FEATURES | Two front airbags standard; ESC standard on Ping'an Ma and Ruyi Ma only (reported optional CNY 1,500 pack on Chengyi Ma); no AEB on any trim (Sina report); no crash-test rating published |
Available Versions
| VERSION | POWER | TORQUE | 0-100 | TOP SPEED | DRIVETRAIN | BATTERY | EV RANGE | COMBINED RANGE | PRICE | KEY DIFFERENCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuaile Ma 222 km | 40 hp | 92 Nm | — | — | RWD | 16.97 kWh | 222 km CLTC | — | CNY 44,900 (~$6,735) | Entry trim; limited-time price CNY 39,900 (~$5,985); 7-inch cluster |
| Ping'an Ma 222 km | 40 hp | 92 Nm | — | — | RWD | 16.97 kWh | 222 km CLTC | — | CNY 49,900 (~$7,485) | Adds the 10.1-inch screen and voice assistant; limited-time price CNY 44,900 (~$6,735) |
| Chengyi Ma 328 km | 40 hp | 92 Nm | — | — | RWD | 27.19 kWh | 328 km CLTC | — | CNY 49,900 (~$7,485) | Larger battery with entry-level equipment; limited-time price CNY 44,900 (~$6,735) |
| Ruyi Ma 328 km | 40 hp | 92 Nm | — | — | RWD | 27.19 kWh | 328 km CLTC | — | CNY 54,900 (~$8,235) | Top trim, larger battery and upper equipment; limited-time price CNY 49,900 (~$7,485) |
Pricing & Availability
The four five-door trims have official guide prices of CNY 44,900, CNY 49,900, CNY 49,900 and CNY 54,900 (about $6,735, $7,485, $7,485 and $8,235). The launch promotion lowers each by CNY 5,000 to CNY 39,900, CNY 44,900, CNY 44,900 and CNY 49,900, and the reports do not say how long the limited-time price lasts, so check the end date with a dealer. Chinese reports list further launch offers: up to 36 interest-free instalments, a CNY 300 trade-in subsidy for three-door owners, and a lifetime warranty on the vehicle and the three electric systems in a package called 521 PLUS. All prices are manufacturer prices in China including VAT, and the trim-to-equipment mapping comes from Chinese outlets rather than a price sheet.
The three-door Pony remains on sale. CarNewsChina lists it from CNY 34,900 (about $5,235) and reports 47,929 three-door cars delivered in China from January to September 2026, down 37.5 percent on a year earlier. Outside China the three-door is sold as the Desner Y300 quadricycle in Italy (13.9 kWh, 170 km CLTC, 90 km/h; Italian outlets report Y300 prices inconsistently and we found no clean 2026 price list) and through QSJ Motors in the Philippines (PHP 588,000 for the 170 km version and PHP 658,000 for the 220 km version, about $9,190 and $10,285, with tour cash discounts to PHP 488,000 and PHP 588,000, about $7,625 and $9,190, according to Top Gear Philippines on 3 August 2026, at 63.99 PHP per US dollar from the ECB cross rate of 28 October 2026); both are three-door cars, a different specification from the five-door, and no export of the five-door has been announced.
How It Compares
The Pony is the smallest and cheapest car here. The Chery QQ3 EV, covered in our own article, costs about CNY 58,900 (~$8,835), roughly CNY 14,000 (about $2,100) more than the Pony's CNY 44,900 guide price, and offers 78 to 121 hp and up to 420 km CLTC against 40 hp and up to 328 km. The new BYD Seagull from CNY 65,900 (about $9,885) costs about CNY 21,000 (roughly $3,150) more than the Pony and offers up to 127 hp, up to 420 km and a bigger body. The Leapmotor T03, 94 hp and 275 km on the stricter WLTP cycle, is a European-market car at GBP 13,795 after the UK grant, so it is not directly comparable with the CLTC numbers of the other three. What the five-door Pony offers over all of them is price and size: a new electric car with rear doors, fast charging and 328 km of CLTC range for under $7,000 at the guide price. Rival figures come from our own articles on each car, in the cycles and markets labelled.
- Price: CNY 44,900 (~$6,735) at the guide price, CNY 39,900 (~$5,985) at the limited-time launch price, far below the Seagull and QQ3 EV
- Rear doors, a 265 to 1,052 litre boot and a sofa-bed mode make it much more practical than the three-door
- CATL battery with DC fast charging on every trim (30-80% in about 30 minutes) and a 328 km CLTC option
- Only 30 kW (40 hp) and 92 Nm, with no 0-100 time in the launch reports and a reported top speed of 103 km/h (CarNewsChina only, not confirmed by FAW), which makes motorway use impractical
- Only the Ping'an Ma and Ruyi Ma reportedly get stability control (ESC); the cheaper Kuaile Ma and Chengyi Ma do not, no trim has AEB, and no crash-test rating has been published
- The CNY 5,000 launch discount has no published end date, and no independent real-world range test exists yet
The five-door Pony is the version of FAW Bestune's micro EV that makes sense for a household: rear doors, a usable boot, CATL batteries, DC fast charging on every trim and a 328 km CLTC option, from CNY 44,900 (about $6,735) at the guide price. It is still a slow, light, four-seat city car with 40 hp, and only the Ping'an Ma and Ruyi Ma reportedly have stability control, which matters more here than in a larger car. We would pick the 328 km Ruyi Ma at CNY 54,900 (about $8,235) for the ESC and the larger battery, or the Chengyi Ma at CNY 49,900 (about $7,485) only with the reported CNY 1,500 ESC pack, confirm the AC-charging details with the dealer, and treat the 222 km trims as a pure city option.
