By Sven Gustafson, Autoblog
Despite still having no vehicles for sale in the United States, Chinese automakerGAC Motors returned to the Detroit auto show for the fifth time to show another concept vehicle
called the Entranze. It represents the brand's first vehicle to be
designed solely in the company's design center in Los Angeles, and it
boasts novel design features including judicious use of cork in the seat
backs and door panels, plus a voice control interface and a living
room-like cabin.
The real news may be the company's incremental moves toward
establishing an actual U.S. sales presence. The company announced it has
established a North American sales company-slash-headquarters in
Irvine, Calif., which will house functions that include branding,
marketing, product planning and financial management. Also, GAC on
Tuesday plans to celebrate the opening of a new $4.4 million, 50,000
square-foot research and development facility in suburban Detroit, its
first in the area and third facility in the United States after its Los
Angeles design center and another R&D center in Silicon Valley.
GAC
executives said they're now targeting the first half of 2020 to launch
their first product in the United States. That's been postponed from
late 2019 on account of the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China,
executives said. "In 2016 we made the decision to enter the U.S. market
and we have made steady progress," GAC Motor President Yu Jun told
reporters via a translator. He acknowledged it's been "an uphill
battle."
Back to the Entranze, which made its global debut introduced by a
team of choreographed dancers. GAC calls it a "hyper-modern family
vehicle," with a presenter referring to it as a "multi-purpose utility crossover." However you define it,
the Entranze is a seven-seater with a 3+2+2 layout and a passthrough
aisle inspired by aircraft, which it turns out is a common inspiration
point for the vehicle. The company strongly hinted but did not specify
that it's an electric car, and given that we saw no tailpipes on it, we'll go with it. (An earlier press release called it an EV.)
In
place of a traditional control panel is a voice-activated user
interface and dynamic buttons on the steering wheel. There are also two
side-mounted displays for functional feature control and curved displays
with retractable cork-covered panels, if the presentation video is to
be believed, for passenger entertainment. There's also an integrated
cargo system with a movable central storage trolley that slides between
seats, removable backpacks that double as in-vehicle storage and a
folding rocker panel that doubles as seating and extra storage. The
aircraft elements repeat with overhead consoles, foldable tray tables
and the exterior design itself. The doors are sliding glass, and the
rocker panel slides, too.
The Entranze launches in the second half of this year — in China, we
presume — based on what the company calls its "New Energy" platform. The
company said it plans to have all of its models electrified by 2025 and
plans to launch Level 3 semi-autonomous driving capabilities by early
2020.
GAC, which now sells in 16 countries in five regions, said
it sold 535,168 cars globally in 2018, an increase of 5.23 percent but
short of its own target, as the Chinese auto market in 2018 saw its
first contraction in two decades.
