Luxury sedan of the future
First unveiled at the last Guangzhou Auto Show, the Time concept car aims to set a new benchmark for luxury sedans in the electric mobility era. The concept car is shaped by a refined form language with an elegant, dynamic and artistic body. “We are facing a revolutionary energy transition, so can there be a concept car to fully illustrate the future of design in this new era?” says Fan Zhang, Gac R&D Vice President and Head of Design.
Maximum space utilization
“This concept car tells, as its name implies, a story about future and could be a great answer to that question,” continues Fan Zhang. Time is based on a platform reserved for electric-only models that allows maximum use of the space between the wheels. The model carries forward Gac’s “aero-friendly” technology, inaugurated by the ENO.146 concept car. Its aerodynamic silhouette and teardrop shape reduce the drag coefficient to 0.191.
A new design language
With a rounded front fascia and smooth surfaces, the Time’s volumes are fluid and bold, comparable in their movements to liquid metal. The angle formed when the side surface of the body meets the rear has been hidden using clean geometric lines, functional to improving aerodynamics. This symbiosis of the curved and the straight, the soft and the hard, is the cornerstone of Gac’s new design language for its zero emission models, called “Teardrop on the blade”.
The role of lights
The “Time Ripples” headlight features numerous individually illuminating LEDs that rotate and turn on in sequence, evoking the movement of ripples in space-time. With the pulsating alternation of light and shadow, the rear lights create a spatial tunnel that seems to want to make the exterior meet the interior.
Hidden autonomous driving sensors
Sensors for autonomous driving have been elegantly distributed throughout the body of the car. Hi-tech laser radars and sensors for autonomous driving are sophisticatedly integrated into the body, while the wheel hub, called the Eternal Timer, is a metaphor for temporal transcendence and with the help of holographic projection technology, produces a light animation that offers a three-dimensional beam of light in space.
Interior, a journey into the future
The interior space is divided into several zones. The upper part of the cabin wraps around the driver’s seat like a ring that extends to form the first and last row passenger seats. The Oled instrument cluster, floating center display, and steering wheel follow the shapes of the interior, while the L-shaped sofa in the rear redefines the relationship between occupants and space, providing an experience more akin to what it can be at home. By gently waving your hand over the sofa, you can close the window shade for privacy or open it to enjoy the view of the outside world.
Art and technology
“We employ art and technology to exhibit the four key elements of our interior design philosophy: intelligence, mobility, roundness and space. Our interior space is a mobile living room where technology and art are at your fingertips,” comments Zhang Fan. “Refined, elegant and suave, Time’s beauty defies time and space. It is a testament to our determination and expertise to be first in the race for electric mobility.”
