Fullgood SS Summer Minivan Heads for 2026 Los Angeles Auto Show

Fullgood Motor’s SS Summer makes a persuasive case that family transport doesn’t have to look like another anonymous crossover. The Beijing-based company plans to bring the plug-in hybrid minivan to the 2026 Los Angeles Auto Show for its U.S. debut. That puts the Summer in front of American buyers, though there’s no confirmed plan to sell it here.

A vintage look with modern hardware

Reader Happy Jo 1982 spotted the van in a video and sent a simple request: “Please, please, please sell this here!!! I would rock it every day!!!!” It’s easy to see the appeal. The yellow-and-white Summer borrows the rounded roof, broad windows and friendly face of a classic Volkswagen Type 2, then wraps that throwback shape around a contemporary people mover.

Fullgood calls it a “family happiness car,” a label that may sound like a lot to ask of a minivan. Still, the concept is appealing: three rows, access designed to make getting in and out easier, and a cabin intended to handle passengers, cargo or a night away. Descriptions of the door layout vary by configuration, but the three-door arrangement shown in the source material is an attention-grabbing feature. The shape alone would make the school run less routine.

Range figures need context

Published specifications list a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, an electric drive motor and a 15-kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. Fullgood’s claimed combined output is approximately 324 horsepower and 550 newton-meters of torque, equivalent to about 406 pound-feet. The claimed total driving range exceeds 700 kilometers, or more than 435 miles.

One listed version has a 60-kilometer electric range under the WLTC test cycle, roughly 37 miles. That’s a Chinese test-cycle result, not an EPA estimate, so American buyers shouldn’t treat it as a direct prediction of local driving range. The same specification lists front-wheel drive, MacPherson struts at the front and a multilink rear suspension. Those details sketch out the layout, but they can’t tell us how the van rides or handles. A road test would.

Public vehicle listings describe a seven-seat production specification and a 12.8-inch center display, alongside equipment such as ABS and traction control. Those listings suggest Fullgood is pursuing a usable family vehicle, rather than building a styling exercise for an exhibition floor. They don’t establish how the Summer would perform in U.S. safety testing. For now, the practical questions are straightforward: How well does it drive, how useful is the cabin, and can the distinctive body make everyday parking awkward?

Fullgood’s retro lineup

The Summer isn’t the company’s only exercise in automotive nostalgia. Fullgood also has the SS Dolphin, whose late-1950s Chevrolet Corvette influence reaches back to the company’s Loose Motor period, when it worked with BYD technology. The Rocket is a lavish retro-futuristic two-door concept, while the Hotrod adds another dramatic shape to the lineup.

Fullgood Motor was established in 2022, with roots in Loose Motor, a custom motorcycle outfit. That history helps explain the company’s taste for theatrical styling. The cars take familiar cues and push them into shapes that stand apart from the smooth-sided electric vehicles filling more showrooms. Whether they feel as good to drive as they look is still an open question; their strongest pitch, so far, is personality.

A U.S. auto show appearance doesn’t mean a vehicle is ready for U.S. roads. A sales launch would bring safety, emissions and other commercial requirements, and a different badge alone wouldn’t settle those questions. Fullgood vehicles are reported for the Los Angeles show, where the key issues to watch are production readiness, the company’s U.S. ambitions and what the Summer is like away from the cameras. Pricing and local availability remain unknown.

An EV that wins the driver, not the charger

The other reader question comes from Lou, who says he hates electric vehicles but has bought a used 2024 Porsche Taycan, a lease return. His previous car was a 2020 BMW 5 Series, also bought used. Lou says his BMW cost him $6,324 in service, while his estimated Taycan service costs over five years are nearly nothing. He also estimates that his work commute costs one-third less, and says the Porsche is faster than his old gas-powered car. The catch? He hates the lack of chargers.

That frustration fits alongside the benefits Lou describes. Lower estimated service costs and cheaper commuting can make an EV appealing, while a weak public charging experience can make trips away from home a chore. The Taycan appears to have won him over from behind the wheel; that doesn’t make a broken charger or a long detour any less aggravating.

Ionna says its network more than doubled this year, reaching over 180 open sites nationwide, including more than 40 at Circle K stores. A convenience store can be a useful place to spend a charging stop, but 180 sites across the country still don’t amount to chargers everywhere. Drivers need stations in convenient locations, enough stalls to limit queues and equipment that works. Those are the details that will determine whether more EV owners end up sharing Lou’s divided opinion.

For now, both questions point to the same gap between promise and daily use. The Summer needs a clear path from show stand to road before its design can win over buyers; EV charging needs to be dependable enough to support the ownership savings drivers already notice.