China’s Aiways has just unveiled a brand new
all-electric concept vehicle in its hometown of Shanghai. Dubbed the U7 Ion, it
follows in the footsteps of the production-ready U5 SUV, showcased in Geneva
last month.The U7 Ion features the company’s FRM concept, which stands for
“family and roomy mobility”. It also premieres the ‘fourth space’ interior
concept, where the vehicle provides a sanctuary from busy modern life through
seamless connectivity and in-car artificial intelligence tech.
The U7 Ion comes with an integrated self-learning
robot, which can actually move around the interior watching over the occupants.
The cabin also stands out thanks to a total of 12 screens spread throughout,
including a smart dashboard touchscreen display integrated into the steering
wheel, and a touchscreen built into a smart mobile console.
Back to the self-learning robot though – it is
mounted on a rail in the roof of the cabin and can automatically move around
the interior providing on-board sound recognition and passenger identification,
to go with a more intelligent iteration of the U5’s in-car childcare tool. As
for the smart mobile console, it includes a touchscreen, a table, refrigerator,
air purifier and hot and cold cup holders; passengers can actually move it
around the cabin to suit their needs.
We also can’t help but notice the concept’s rear
hinged doors, which were designed this way in order to make access into the
cabin as effortless as possible. Once inside, occupants are greeted by a
‘welcome seat’ which rotates to face them. The U7 Ion also comes with ambient
lighting that automatically changes color and intensity to reflect the
“tonality and volume of the occupants’ conversation or the driving style,”
while the full panoramic glass roof is responsible for the airy environment.
Despite its minimalist aesthetics, the U7 Ion
concept is said to offer bold SUV-styling with MPV levels of practicality. Its
design has been influenced by that of the U5, hence the ‘mask-style’ front
fascia and its signature L-shaped headlights. Other design traits include the
taught shoulder line, large alloy wheels, rear-view cameras for mirrors, hidden
door handles and an overall dynamic stance.
As if all that wasn’t enough, the U7 Ion can also
use its headlights to project images onto the road ahead, as a reflection of
the driver’s mood.
