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(Thu 17 Jan 08) There's no question about it - the strangest-looking and most oddly-named cars at the Detroit Show are the three concepts presented by Chinese designer Li Guangming of the Tang Hua design studio in Beijing. It's not just that they're all bright yellow. The cars (from top to bottom in our pictures, the Piece of Cloud, the Book of Songs and the Detroit Fish) use curves to such an extent that they look nothing like anything on the roads today.
In particular, they look like nothing currently being sold by any Chinese manufacturer. And that's the point Li is trying to make. "There will be no Chinese national cars of significance if the Chinese spirit is absent from their design," he says, adding that the "rounded, friendly look" of the concepts is indicative of Chinese culture.
All three cars are electric vehicles (EVs) in accordance with another of Li's priorities. "If China and India burned gas at the same rate as the US," he says, "they would consume four times the fuel reserves of the entire planet. The future must point to the EV field - that's one of the reasons why I'm exhibiting here at Detroit."
For example, the Detroit Fish (so-called because it was designed especially for the Show, and is amphibious) has a 3.5kW electric motor whose energy is stored in a lithium ion battery pack. It has a possible range of around 93 miles and a top speed of 28mph. Not much use for motorway driving, then, but Li believes that this car, like the Piece of Cloud and the Book of Songs, would be of use in "tourist spots, large communities, university campuses and small towns." Previous: Skoda Fabia Estate Insurance Next: Hyundai's Sports Saloon |
