The Guangzhou Auto EnSpirit concept car has been unveiled on the Detroit Auto Show. It previews a future
sporty electric SUV-coupe that is all about clean and green. Guangzhou Auto
went back to basics; what better cleans the air than a tree. Nothing does, so
the EnSpirit has one on-board.
An absolutely brilliant idea, although perhaps a bit
unpractical. The tree is of the Penjing-kind, better known abroad as the Bonsai tree, which is
actually a derivative of the Penjing tree. It seems to have a fixed position on
the tunnel, standing on a saucer.
Well, at least it isn’t as crazy as Guangzhou Auto’s
infamous WitStar concept which had a fish tank on board with live fish. Fuzzily,
when the WitStar debuted in Detroit the live fish were replaced by fake
ones.
The rest of the interior is a work of art, design at
Guangzhou Auto has been improving so much over the last few years. Seats in
white leather, black fabric, and a lot of wood.
The exterior not very surprising because the
EnSpirit is not entirely new. It is basically an update of the 2015 EV Coupe
concept, albeit with a completely new interior. Well, recycling is good for
the environment, right? The power train, if it has any, differs too. The EV
Coupe was all-electric and the EnSpirit is a plug-in hybrid based around a 1.5
liter four-cylinder petrol engine. No word on output.
There is a huge a market for compact sporty
crossover SUVs in China, so we expect the EnSpirit to see production in 2018 or
2019.
