Great Wall Motors unveiled its new premium brand called Saloon (according to the company’s English website, or Salon, per Google’s translation from Chinese), together with its first model, the Jijialong which translates to ‘Mecha Dragon’ in English, at the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show. The new four-door coupe boasts angular styling, a premium cabin, and a fully electric powertrain. Starting with the elephant in the room, the Mecha Dragon is admittedly not the most beautiful car of this years’ Guangzhou Auto Show. The Chinese company refers to the model as a “medium-to-large coupe” measuring 5.2 m in length, and claims its exterior was designed to resemble a “mechanical armor”.

Some would say that Saloon was inspired by the Tesla Cybertruck for creating a Tesla Model S rival, merging angular surfaces with rounded edges. At the front, the headlights have a hint of the facelifted Lamborghini Gallardo, the bumper design is pretty complex, and the bonnet scoop looks like it came out of a low-resolution video game. On the profile, the numerous dynamic lines and a surface treatment similar to the Hyundai Elantra, are confusing to the eyes, especially when combined with the round bold-on fenders. Proportionally, the A-pillar is too flat and the front overhang too long. Things are not so much better at the rear end that is featuring a fastback look reminiscent of the Audi A7 Sportback, and a flamboyant diffuser with fake exhaust pipes. The model also features performance tires by Michelin and brakes by Brembo.

 

Under the weird bodywork hides a fully electric platform developed by Great Wall Motors. With a combined output of 543 hp and up to 750 Nm of torque from four electric motors, the Mecha Dragon can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds. Great Wall’s Dayu battery pack with a capacity of 115kWh and 800-volt technology is offering an 802 km electric range according to China’s CLTP cycle. What is even more impressive is that thanks to the ultra-fast charging capability, the battery can add 401 km of range in 10 minutes. The new generation battery is also a lot safer, withstanding temperatures of up to 1,000 ℃ (1,832 °F).

The cabin is focused on premium materials and incorporates the latest technology in terms of safety, infotainment, and connectivity. The dashboard has a digital instrument cluster and a wide touchscreen panel covering most of its width. The rear passengers seem to enjoy plenty of legroom with touch-sensitive buttons mounted on the door panels, a panoramic sunroof, and what appears to be a premium sound system.

 

Most importantly, Great Wall Motors claims that the Mecha Dragon is the first model in the world equipped with four lidars that are combined with 38 intelligent sensing components including cameras, radars, ultrasonic sensors, etc. This level of kit hints at advanced self-driving capabilities for the Mecha Dragon and other upcoming Saloon models.

The Saloon Mecha Dragon may look like a concept car but it is actually a production model with a price tag of ¥ 488,000 (US$ 76,481) for the initial run of 101 units. Great Wall Motor intends to create a “Mecha Technology” subdivision for its new Saloon brand, which wants to enter the “luxury all-electric vehicle market” offering a price range between ¥ 400,000 (US$ 62,685) and ¥ 800,000 (US$ 125,370). This means we should expect more expensive cars than the Mecha Dragon, probably including a fully electric SUV.