beijinghaval chulian
beijing gwm black bullet
beijing songsan summer
beijing bestune e01
beijing gwm futurist
Carsales Staff29 Sept 2020
NEWS

BEIJING MOTOR SHOW: The best and the rest

The meek, the magnificent and the just plain mad are on display in the Chinese capital

For the first time during the global coronavirus pandemic, a major auto show is underway.

In the Chinese capital Beijing, everything from the wildest concepts to the most mundane of production cars are being revealed before live audiences.

With so much of the world still in the grip of the pandemic it’s no surprise many international brands have stayed away, or stayed low-key, while the locals have been the stars of the show.

With electrification such a big deal in China, EV reveals have been prominent as the show got underway with media previews.

But the internal combustion engine isn’t dead yet and there were some significant fossil-fuelled unveilings as well.

Haval Chulian

Of particular interest in Australia because something pretty close to this should turn up here at some stage, the Chulian is a close-to-production version of the second-generation Haval H2 small SUV.

Chulian means ‘First Love’ in China, where it is expected to be powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 110kW/210Nm and paired with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Inside and out, the car on display was appropriately glitzy with a chromed grille and alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof and leather trim. A floating touchscreen on the dashboard was also a production-ready feature.

Based on the unfortunately named new Great Wall Motors’ LEMON platform, the Chulian is a further development of the Concept H first shown earlier this year.

And in case you were wondering, LEMON is Haval parent company GWM’s $4 billion global modular platform architecture, short for ‘Lightweight, Electrification, Multi-purpose, Omni-protection and Network’. It will underpin loads of new vehicles from the Chinese brand, spanning large, medium and small SUVs, cars and people-movers.

Songsan SS Dolphin and Summer

beijing songsan ss dolphin

Beijing-based Songsan Motors brought two vehicles to the show that were either regrettably kitsch or cute tributes. They were the SS Dolphin, a Chevrolet C1 Corvette look-a-like, and the Summer, which evokes the Volkswagen Kombi.

Developed with the American engineering company Amtech, the SS Dolphin is a plug-in hybrid powered by a 1.5-litre turbo engine and e-motor. Combined outputs are 234kW and 535Nm. Driving via a seven-speed DCT, Songsan claims a 4.9sec 0-100km/h sprint.

While the exterior is retro, there is a digital dashboard which local observers thought came from the EV brand BYD.

Songsan charges 590,000 yuan for the Dolphin, or about $A122,000. Hefty.

Great Wall Motors Futurist

beijing gwm futurist

The Futurist combines retro with technology, according to chief designer Phil Simmons, an Englishman who was with JLR before joining the Chinese conglomerate in 2019.

But something like this three-box sedan could have come out of an Australian studio with a Holden, Ford or Chrysler badge on it in the 1960s or ’70s.

Styling highlights include the pillar-less window opening and suicide doors. Inside there is a single large dial behind the steering wheel to evoke the past and a touch-screen to return us to the 21st century.

The Futurist is based on GWM’s new LEMON platform that can be used for ICE, hybrid and electric vehicles. (See Haval Chulian above.)

The Futurist is electrified and claims a 700km range from its cobalt-free battery pack.

Will it be built? There seems an expectation that it will, with much speculation in the Chinese media about what badge it will wear; Ora is GWM’s EV specialist, Wey makes luxury SUVs, Haval is an SUV brand and GWM is for pick-ups.

GWM Poer Black Bullet

beijing gwm black bullet

Here’s one to get Australian ute lovers excited: the Chinese version of a Toyota HiLux Rugged X.

This one-off show special is based on the new-generation GWM Poer pick-up that is headed to Australia by late 2020 or early 2021.

Of course, as we covered here, the Poer won’t have that name in Australia.

The Black Bullet ticks all the key boxes with its tough bull bar, winches front and rear, bonnet vent, overhead driving lights, aerodynamically-shaped snorkel, pronounced fender flares, bead lock wheels and chunky off-road rubber. Just not sure what the floating cover in the tray is all about.

The interior has also been re-trimmed in a light quilted leather that will dirty up pretty quickly once you go off-road.

By the way, there’s plenty of ‘off-road’ badges in the cabin to remind you that’s what the Black Bullet is all about.

Bestune E01

beijing bestune e01

Bestune (formerly Besturn) is a division of the state-owned FAW (First Auto Works) Group and has traditionally based its vehicles on Mazda technology.

The E01 is a five-seater battery-electric SUV with a drivetrain featuring a single electric motor with 141kW/320Nm driving the front wheels. The battery is 61kWh and provides 450km range (NEDC).

All that is straight forward; it’s inside where the E01 gets funky.

It features a new AI assistant called Yomi who can be communicated with via a 3D figurine on the top of the dashboard. You can even decide what Yomi looks like. Your partner, your dog, your mother-in-law…

Via fascial recognition software Bestune says Yomi can even recognise the driver’s joy, sadness, anger and other emotional changes and recommend the appropriate music.

Lynk & Co Zero Concept

beijing lynkco zero

The Geely subsidiary’s EV ‘shooting brake’ rides on the privately-owned auto group’s new SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) EV platform, which will also be used by Geely itself, Volvo and Polestar.

But in a radical move, SEA will also be shared as an open-source design with other manufacturers.

The Lynk & Co Zero has a claimed range beyond 700km on a single battery charge (NEDC-rated) and a 3.9sec 0-100km/h dash.

Designed at the company’s Swedish base, it’s a big car at more than 5.0m long with a 2999mm wheelbase. It features frameless doors, air suspension and Level 3 autonomous capability.

Expect a production version in 2021.

Human Horizons HiPhi X

beijing human horizons hiphi

Launched in production form at the Beijing show – no, it’s not a concept – the HiPhi X is a supercar-inspired four-to-six-seat electrified SUV that will be offered in both rear- and all-wheel drive, with battery choices up to 96kWh and a range up to 630km (NEDC).

The HiPhi X also has some funky design features, especially the wing doors at the rear that split into horizontal and vertical sections.

But the big pitch is this is a “self-learning smart vehicle”. That means this car has embedded AI developed with Microsoft, is over-the-air upgradable and has a neural network of highly powerful domain controllers.

The quick summary? It’s got lots and lots of powerful and upgradeable gizmos that can do lots of stuff and learn on the run to do even more.

The numbers around this thing are huge too. It’s 5200mm long, has a 3150mm wheelbase, a 2380kg kerb weight and a series of touch-screens inside as big as 19.9 inches.

Pricing goes up to 800,00 yuan or $A165,000, making it the most expensive Chinese-built car sold on the domestic market.

Geely Preface

beijinggeely preface

This is the latest model to spin off the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) already employed Geely and its by subsidiaries Volvo, Polestar and Lynk & Co.

Styled under the direction of English design legend Peter Horbury, the Preface has gone through a series of concept teasers leading up to its production debut in Beijing.

It’s quite a big car at 4785mm long, 1869mm wide, 1469mm high and with a 2800mm wheelbase. The only powertrain detailed so far is a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission jointly developed by Geely and Volvo.

The CMA’s electric architecture enables the Preface to accept over-the-air updates. In China it will be called the Xing Rui, or roughly translated as a star that’s a good omen.

More carsales coverage from the 2020 Beijing auto show:
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