Great Wall Motors is taking a concept car to the Beijing Motor Show this weekend that is definitely worth a look. The car listens to the Futurist name, given its clear nod to the past.
Futurist is indeed an appropriate name when we look at the technology of this car, but more about that later. The carriage tells a different story. We see various retro influences. For example, the rear is somewhat reminiscent of a GAZ Volga and the fact that it is a four-door hardtop is a striking retro element. The exuberant presence of chrome and the fog lights standing loose on the front bumper are nice cherries on the classic cake. Finally, judging from the sketch, the interior is also provided with the necessary nods to days gone by.
Anyway, technically, the model is very modern. Hence the name. The Futurist is on Great Wall’s new modular ‘Lemon’ platform. That is suitable for conventional combustion engines, plug-in hybrid and all-electric powertrains. This refers to level 3 autonomous technology, so you have to be able to transfer driving to the car to a certain extent. Great Wall will pull the curtain off the car in Beijing on Saturday. For the time being, we cannot count on seeing the Futurist, or its production version, in Europe.