Oh man, Mashable with the mother of all scoops today: GM’s “Chinese Baojun brand just launched its first mass-market electric car, the E100, for only about $5,300 USD after estimated local and national subsidies.” And it looks like this:

Fly and affordable, and good for the earth to boot! Just look at it. Leaving all those other tiny electric vehicles IN THE DUST.

This bad boy, the Baojun E100, was actually released in late July, and is GM China’s first fully electric vehicle. Given its small size, its limited range (gets about 100 miles on a charge), and its maximum speed clocking in at a humble 62mph, this lil devil is tailor-made for the Chinese urban commuter, and won’t be popping up in other countries. Unless, I don’t know, you pick one up on your next China trip and check it on your flight home. Just a thought.

I used to proofread press releases and news clippings from the Chinese auto industry to make some extra cash, and without revealing anything specific, I can tell you that Chinese companies (and global automakers waging turf wars in the China market) are racing to churn out decent-quality electric vehicles (EVs) at scale over here. Many of the same are also trying to beat Google/Tesla to getting mass-produced fleets of self-driving cars on the road (as is Baidu), and China’s regulatory environment tends to be a bit more forgiving of such technological leaps. Stay tuned to Radii, we’ll be watching the space.