It's Got a Tail Wing and a Pink Interior – Get Ready for Geely's Panda Kart

Let me be straight with you – I’ve driven some seriously peculiar cars over the years. Quirky little contraptions, weird three-wheelers... but this new electric go-kart from Geely… it just might snag top spot on my list of automotive oddities. They’re calling it the Panda Kart, and let’s be honest, folks, it's absolutely bonkers with a capital "B."

It’s not the first time that Geely decided to introduce a little bit of fun into the usually boring market of city-bound EVs. Do you remember the Panda Knight I wrote about last year? That mini-Bronco clearly wasn’t funky enough, nor was the Little Yellow Duck Panda. Sometimes, the Chinese EV market feels like one of those Willy Wonka’s wild creations - and I love it!

Back to Panda Kart - this thing is basically a shoebox on wheels, given a sporty makeover by a 13-year-old with a sticker fetish and an obsession with all things purple. Seriously, they went nuts with the purple accents. They’re just plastered all over, plus the purple-and-white rims make it look like something out of a cartoon. And about that rear tail wing – a tail wing – it's the kind of aerodynamic flourish you’d expect to see on a full-fledged race car, not something that looks like it should be dodging bananas on Rainbow Road.

But enough about the looks – even for a car this peculiar, size matters. We're talking about 10 feet 4 inches (3150 mm) long, 5 feet (1540 mm) wide, and 5 feet 6 inches (1685 mm) tall. It's basically the automotive equivalent of a pocket rocket. Oh, and did I mention it's still got four seats? I’m not sure exactly how you're supposed to squeeze in, but hey, more power to the Chinese contortionists who make it work.

So, what powers this little oddball? Well, under that purple-accented hood lies a 30 kW motor – that’s about 40 horsepower in old speak. You also get a whopping 81 lb-ft of torque, which might not sound like much, but remember, this thing probably weighs less than my gym bag and it rides on tiny, scooter-like, 12” rims. Geely claims it’ll manage 0-62 mph (0-100kph) in… well, let's just say you won't be winning any drag races. Still, it'll scoot around the city like a caffeinated squirrel, and with both “normal” and “sport” modes, I’m sure you’ll at least sound like you’re going fast.

Sadly, Geely's keeping quiet on the battery specs, but they assure us it’ll fast-charge like a champ. And by "fast," they mean about 30 minutes for a 30%-80% battery top-up. It seems like Geely’s not playing it safe with this one, the playful colors and the, ahem, questionable styling aim straight for China's youngsters with a serious case of "too cool for school."

Inside, it’s surprisingly tech-forward for its size. You get a couple of LCD screens, smartphone connectivity for all your remote control fantasies, and even voice commands. Let’s face it, this is probably the most high-tech go-kart you've ever seen. Plus, you can even choose a pink interior if purple is too understated for you. Talk about making a statement!

Safety-wise, it looks… alright. You get the usual acronyms - ABS, EBD, whatever those stand for, plus a few radars and cameras to hopefully keep things shiny side up. But in something this small, with looks meant to turn teenage heads, let's hope Geely knows what it's doing.

Price is the big mystery, but given the standard Panda Mini costs under $6,000, I suspect the Kart version won’t exactly break the bank either. That means a whole lot of teenagers will soon be terrorizing streets with their questionable taste and newfound electric horsepower.

So there you have it – the Geely Panda Kart. I can't tell if it's utter genius or an absolute marketing disaster, but hey, I'm never one to turn down a bit of fun. Let's just hope someone gives me the keys and a closed course. This thing could be an absolute riot… or a total catastrophe. I suppose we’ll find out soon enough!