This isn't the Chinese vehicle Europe is talking about.

I found this Chinese L6 vehicle in Erpfingen, a small village in southern Germany, close to my hometown.

Not Shanghai.

Not Shenzhen.

Not Munich.

Erpfingen, a conservative village in a area where everybody speaks Schäbisch, a dialect not understood by outsiders.

Most people would probably smile and walk past it.

After all, this isn't a BYD. It isn't a Xiaomi. It certainly isn't the type of Chinese vehicle dominating today's headlines.

But perhaps that's exactly why it caught my attention.

When we discuss Chinese competition, we almost always picture increasingly sophisticated electric cars with longer ranges, larger batteries and more software.

We rarely talk about vehicles like this.

Yet this may be much closer to what many Europeans actually mean when they say they want an affordable electric vehicle.

Not everyone needs a €45,000 SUV.

Many people simply want something safe, weatherproof and inexpensive to get from A to B - and potentially want to have some fun on the way.

Whether vehicles like this become successful in Europe is another question entirely. Regulations, safety expectations and customer preferences all matter.

But perhaps we are having the wrong debate.

We spend an enormous amount of time discussing premium electric vehicles.

Maybe we should spend a little more time discussing affordable mobility.