In a video published on Weibo a few days ago, the North Korean regime proudly presented its “first electric car.” However, this Madusan EV is actually nothing more than a rebadged BYD Han.
The Madusan Economic Federation is a North Korean organization established in 2018 and specialized in foreign trade. In a video posted on social media, the company unveiled the Madusan EV. An electric car presented as the first of its kind made in North Korea. According to Car News China, it is actually a rebadged BYD Han and nothing else.
Just by looking at the design of the car, it is striking. For example, one can see that the rear lights of the model presented in the video are exactly the same as those of the BYD electric sedan. Although blurry in the video, the logos have been modified and the Chinese brand is nowhere to be found. Madusan has modified the Chinese model in an attempt to market it in North Korea.
On the company’s website, it states: “We import and sell vehicles through cooperation and exchanges with foreign manufacturers and service companies.” BYD may have given their approval. Furthermore, this is not the first time a car manufactured by the Shenzhen-based company has been spotted in North Korea without logos. In 2011, F6 vehicles were used as police cars during Kim Jong-Il’s funeral.
According to the state media advertisement, this Madusan EV is said to be more powerful than most models made in China and the West. The North Korean company promises, for example, a range of 720 km. This claim appears to be untrue since the BYD Han does not exceed 610 km of range according to the company’s website.