The new Yudo Auto
X-Pi electric concept car. Pi as in π, the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. It previews an upcoming
mid-size crossover SUV that is scheduled to hit the Chinese auto market in
2019.
Design is muscular with wide wheel arches, a short
bonnet, and a short overhang front and rear. Interestingly, the company won’t
rule out that the typical concept car doors will make it to the production car.
Yudo Auto is a new EV brand, launched in February. Their first
production cars will be the Yudo Pi 1 small crossover and
the Yudo Pi 3 compact crossover, both
will launch within this year. Next up is an A-class crossover for 2019,
previewed by the X-Pi, followed by a C-class crossover in 2020. All will be
full electric, there won’t be any hybrids or petrol powered cars. The company plans to open 110 dealers in china this
year, going up to 500 dealers by 2020.
Yudo Auto has received an official government license
to produce cars. Main shareholders are several state-owned companies and the
local government of Fujian Province where Yudo is based. It is very much a
state-supported affair, instead of an ultra hip independent startup.
The company’s English slogan is “creating for
change” and they have launched a website that looks a lot like a state-owned company’s website, with
lots of photos of visiting dignitaries.
That screen is larger than my computer’s monitor. It
seems to be about 16 inch, and it is positioned so high that blocks a large
part of the driver’s view. Yudo says the X-Pi is also equipped with a
holographic display, but they didn’t show it. Holographic displays are going to
be the new thing, a lot of automakers are working on this technology.
The seats are based on carbon fiber frames and can
be rotated 180 degrees in autonomous mode or when the vehicle is parked. The rear end looks surprisingly subtle compared to
the wild wild front.
Yudo Auto didn’t say anything about the motor but we
assume it needs more power than the 53 hp that the Pi 3 will get. Light blue car
on the left is the Pi 1.
