The Chinese auto industry has come a long way in the last 20 years. These days, Chinese cars are more mainstream and, dare we say it, accepted by consumers. There are fewer copycat designs these days, but there are still a few cars that slip through the net.
Case in point, the Weiao Boma.
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You won’t need eagle eyes to see the, um, inspiration behind this car. Its sizable waterfall grille, the trim pieces on the headlights, and even the bumper corners remind us of a certain luxury van from Toyota. Do we really need to spell it out?
The Weiao Boma (really) looks like a Toyota Alphard that’s been sent to a photocopier that's been left at about 30%. Okay, maybe not the entire Alphard (it doesn’t have sliding doors), but you can’t deny that the Boma’s nose bears a striking resemblance to the plush Toyota.
The Weiao Boma is produced by a company called Hongri Electric Vehicle. It specializes in ‘low-speed, four-wheel electric vehicles’, and the automaker has a whole range of these mini EVs. The company’s offerings also look a little bit like Japanese kei cars with their diminutive dimensions.
Specs, you ask? The Boma uses a compact electric motor that’s good for 40hp and 80Nm of torque, so it’s far from a hot hatchback. There are two battery options available, namely an 11.9kWh version for the base model and another with an 18.5kWh capacity for higher trim levels.
The one with the smaller battery pack has a range of 130 kilometers and takes seven hours to ‘fill up’ with a slow charger. The upgraded battery bumps up the range to 200 kilometers but takes 10 hours to charge from flat (slow charging). If you must ask about its top speed, it taps out at 100kph.
As for size, it measures 3517mm long, 1495mm wide, and 1660mm tall. For reference, the Toyota Alphard is 4,925mm long, so it’s about 1.4 times longer than the Boma.
We suppose if you have to look for inspiration for a vehicle design, Toyota’s beautiful people mover is a good place to start.
