Wuling's 'stall-economy van' goes viral — Wuling Motors shares jump 120% in a day

On 2 June 2020, in the middle of China's 'stall economy' craze, the 'Wuling Special Vehicles' WeChat account presented the Wuling Rongguang wing-door sales van as 'the official main force of the stall economy'. The mini-van's cargo sides unfolded like wings into a roadside stall — 5,300L of space, three one-button doors, drivable with a C1 licence — priced around ¥56,800.

The timing was the idea. Days earlier, the premier's remarks about roadside stalls and small shops had turned street vending into a national social-media topic after COVID-19 job losses. Wuling was already known for the slogan 'whatever the people need, Wuling builds', earned when it switched to making face masks in three days in February. The post's copy — 'the most human warmth is street smoke', 'start a business with small capital' — matched the moment's mood exactly.

The post passed 100,000 reads and flooded WeChat within a day. On 3 June, shares of Hong Kong-listed Wuling Motors jumped as much as 120–126% intraday and closed up 53.27% at HK$0.305. The company said its sales phones were bombarded and that one day's orders exceeded the previous month's total of about 300 units.

The listed company later said it did not know why its stock moved — the van is a Liuzhou Wuling product — but the moment turned a niche commercial vehicle into a national symbol, lifted the entire stall-economy sector (14 A-share concept stocks hit limit-up), and within hours rival automakers were publishing their own 'stall van' promotions.