Cars of the future: debuts of the Guangzhou Auto Show
Unlike the Beijing or Shanghai Auto Shows, which are full of concepts for future models, the Guangzhou exhibition is more pragmatic — live cars debuted in the capital of the Chinese province of Guangdong. Izvestia found out which of them will be on the Russian market in the foreseeable future and in which direction the Chinese car industry will develop.
A car dealership as a car dealership
The Guangzhou exhibition is actually a big showroom for many Chinese automakers. Many of the car models presented on it appear in dealerships almost simultaneously with the removal of their covers on exhibition stands.
A striking example of this is the GAC Aion i60 crossover that debuted at the auto show: in the morning it was presented with fanfare at the auto show, and the same evening it appeared on billboards on the streets of Guangzhou. This car was developed in close cooperation with Toyota and is based on the Toyota bZ3X model already available on the local market: the cars have a number of common body parts and a single platform. The Chinese model differs from its Japanese progenitor in its bumpers and lighting technology. There is also a difference in technology: if Toyota is only available in an all-electric version, then the Aion i60 will also be offered in a hybrid version.
The GAC Aion i60 crossover may appear in Russia
Such a car, in addition to a 204- or 224-horsepower electric motor, is also equipped with a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine with a capacity of 101 hp. The power reserve of this crossover with a full tank of fuel and a charged battery with a capacity of 29.16 kWh exceeds 1.2 thousand km.
Another premiere from GAC in Guangzhou was the Hyptec A800 hybrid sedan (this brand belongs to GAC). The car was developed in cooperation with Huawei. The IT giant was responsible, in particular, for on-board electronics and multimedia, as well as for the autonomous car control system without driver participation — the A800, equipped with radars and lidars, is certified for the third level of autonomy, which assumes the autopilot's independent operation at low speeds or in stable road conditions, for example, on motorways.
The Hyptec A800 sedan from GAC debuted at the Guangzhou Auto Show
The Hyptec A800 electric motor has 340 hp, and the 1.5-liter gasoline engine produces 160 hp. With a full tank of fuel and a charged battery, the sedan can travel 800 km.
Both the Aion i60 and A800 have every chance to officially appear in our country. According to Lu Weicong, Deputy President of GAC International, the company is considering the possibility of introducing its sub-brands to the Russian market.
"We have a strategy for introducing new brands and models, Aion and Hyptec models, to the Russian market," said a top manager of the Chinese company.
Deputy President of GAC International Lu Weicong
Representatives of the automaker clarified that in our country these models will not be presented under their own brands, as in China, but under the "parent" brand. If they appear in Russia, these and some other Aion and Hyptec models will be sold at GAC dealerships.
The Guinness World Record and more
The first public display of the fastest car on the planet, the Yangwang Y9 Xtreme, caused a real stir at the BYD booth (the Yangwang brand belongs to this concern). To approach the debutant, it was necessary to stand in line for about half an hour.
In mid-September, this hypercar set a new Guinness World Record. He reached a speed of 496.22 km/h on a special race track. This was made possible by four electric motors with a total peak power of 3019 hp, the thrust from which is transmitted to all wheels of the car. Tires designed for speeds up to 500 km/h have been developed specifically for the Y9 Xtreme.
The Yangwang Y9 Xtreme is the fastest car on the planet. He set a new Guinness World record of 496.22 km/h on a special race track.
The Yangwang hypercar also updated another unofficial record, managing to drive the legendary "Northern Loop" of the Nurburgring with a length of 20.8 km in 6 minutes and 59.157 seconds under the control of pilot Moritz Kranz. Thus, the Y9 Xtreme became the first mass-produced electric car to pass the Nordschleife in less than seven minutes, depriving Xiaomi SU7 Ultra of this title. However, this hypercar can be considered a production car very conditionally: the Yangwang Y9 Xtreme will be released in a limited edition of only 30 copies.
The Chinese version of the new generation Toyota Rav4 shown in Guangzhou will certainly be much more widespread. This model debuted in global markets back in the spring, but for China, the FAW-Toyota joint venture has created a separate version of this crossover, which features a more aggressive design, larger screens (the central display has a diagonal of 15.6 inches versus 10.25 or 12.9 inches for modifications for other markets) and its own multimedia system.
The new Toyota Rav4 for China is also available with a conventional 171-horsepower gasoline engine.
It is noteworthy that, despite the commitment of Chinese buyers to hybrid and electric models, the new Toyota Rav4 for China is also available with a conventional 171-horsepower gasoline engine, while in other countries this crossover is offered only in a hybrid version. Given the large number of Toyota Rav4s supplied to our country from China through alternative channels, it is more likely that the "Chinese version" of the new generation of this crossover will appear in Russia soon.
Another model shown at the Guangzhou Auto Show, the iCaur V27 with a sequential hybrid powertrain, will officially appear in Russia next year and will become the debut model of the iCaur brand in our market.
The iCaur V27 will be released in Russia next year and will be the debut model in our market.
The five-meter SUV will feature a brutal angular design. Its power plant consists of a 1.5-liter gasoline engine with a capacity of 143 hp and two electric motors with a capacity of 456 hp. The range on electric traction is about 200 km. As previously promised by representatives of the Chery company (iCaur is one of the numerous brands of this automaker), especially for Russia, this car will receive a reinforced suspension and a modified thermoregulation system of the power plant.
The first ever Exlantix ES7 GT station wagon, which premiered in Guangzhou, has every chance of being in Russia. It is based on the ES sedan, which is known in Russia as the Exlantix ES. The station wagon is equipped with a hybrid powerplant with three electric motors with a total capacity of more than 540 hp. The car accelerates to 100 km/h in three seconds, and the power reserve is about 1.7 thousand km.
The first ever Exlantix ES7 GT station wagon, which premiered in Guangzhou, has every chance of ending up in Russia.
BAW showed two versions of the pickup truck based on the 212 SUV at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The first modification is equipped with a soft removable fabric roof and features a luxurious two-tone leather interior. Under the hood is a two—liter gasoline turbo engine with a capacity of 252 hp.
The second version of the pickup truck, called Explorer 01, is built on an elongated SUV chassis. This car is equipped with a two-liter 170-horsepower turbodiesel. Both modifications are combined with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Since the BAW 212 has been on sale in our country since spring, it is likely that pickups based on it will also appear on the Russian market.
"Air" control, internal combustion engine and buttons
Despite the fact that the vast majority of new models, including those presented at the Guangzhou Auto Show, are hybrids and electric cars, Chinese automakers are not ignoring the development of vehicles powered by traditional fuels. For GAC, this area, even taking into account the active development of cars powered by alternative energy sources, is one of the priorities, said Mamato Katsumato, Technical Director of GAC International.
— We see that models with internal combustion engines are still in high demand in many markets. Therefore, our company has a separate division that develops new internal combustion engines," said the top manager of the Chinese automaker.
Another promising area that GAC engineers and designers are actively working on is the creation of a car with "wireless" control. This opens up wide prospects for engineers in the layout of future models and greatly facilitates their design. After all, the same steering rods, brake tubes, and even wires from any button, physical or sensory, to mirrors, headlights, power windows, etc. significantly affect the weight of the car.
During a visit to the company's R&D center, Russian journalists were shown a mock-up of a future machine model in which all functions are controlled "by air." For example, it has no "physical" or wired connection between the steering wheel and the wheels, the brake pedal and the brakes themselves, the keys and buttons with mirrors, turn signals, windscreen wipers, etc. Instead, there are several hundred chips and electronic components. When the driver turns the steering wheel to the side, the "electronic brain" instantly analyzes the direction and angle of rotation and, via radio or via the Internet, commands the mechanisms to change the trajectory of the car. The driver pressed the brake — the system "assessed" the level of pedal pressure and "through the air" transmitted the signal directly to the brake calipers and simultaneously activated the brake lights.
Of course, these are only developments that are still in the initial stage of approbation and testing. However, at the same time as creating such cars of the future, the company is also working on their protection.
— We understand that such cars must first of all be completely safe and protected. Therefore, we pay special attention not only to their testing, but also to their cyber security in order to exclude any possibility of outside interference in driving such a car," said Lu Weicong, Deputy President of GAC International.
At the same time, even taking into account promising developments in the field of "wireless control", as well as the current trend towards a massive shift by Chinese automakers to control car functions through sensors and displays, GAC does not intend to abandon the traditional "physical" keys.
— We see that displays and screens in cars are a recent trend. They are popular with the younger generation of buyers. However, we understand that for safety reasons, a number of machine functions must be controlled using physical buttons. Therefore, they will remain in our cars," said Mamato Katsumato, Technical Director of GAC International.
He clarified that, first of all, we are talking about turning on the alarm system, controlling heating and blowing windows.
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