Dongfeng, one of the four biggest car makers in China, has taken its first steps into Europe with the Nammi Box budget EV.

Launched in Switzerland priced from CHF 21,990 (£19,615), the hatchback is positioned as a rival to the Citroen ë-C3, currently one of the cheapest EVs on sale in Europe at £21,035.

To keep this price down, the Nammi Box could be one of the first cars to be produced at Dongfeng’s proposed factory in Italy.

The Chinese state-owned car maker is currently in advanced talks with the Italian government over the creation of the plant, according to Reuters.

This would allow it to dodge expensive new EU import taxes on Chinese-made EVs. These go as high as 38.1% for some car makers, on top of the existing 10% import tariff.

Based on the Dongfeng's own S3 platform, the Nammi Box shares a similar footprint with the ë-C3, at 4.02m long.

It's fitted with a 42.3kWh battery and has a claimed WLTP range of 193 miles. Power comes from a 94bhp single motor. A smaller 31.5kWh battery is offered in China but isn’t expected to be offered here.

For comparison, the ë-C3 gets a range of 199 miles from a 44kWh battery and has a 111bhp motor.

Inside, the Nammi Box is clad in a diamond-stitched white leather, with a 12in infotainment touchscreen the centre point of the dash. There's also a 5in digital instrument panel.

A quirky design feature is the ability of the front seats to recline flat, such that they can be used as makeshift beds.

No details on a wider release has yet been revealed, but given Dongfeng's reported Italian push, it seems likely to follow other Chinese giants – among them BYD, Chery, Geely, GWM and SAIC – into the wider European market.