Chinese carmakers – once known for making poor copies of other manufacturer’s cars – are making significant technological strides. One such carmaker is GAC. It recently took to the centre-stage at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show to unveil its future offerings, which will be manufactured under the Trumpchi brand.
Trumpchi GS7
Its main attraction at the show was the GS7 compact SUV. It’s similar in size to the Toyota RAV4 and can seat five passengers. The luggage area is also big enough to swallow 821 litres of luggage with relative ease.
On the power front it won’t make any headlines, though. An in-house 2.0-litre turbocharged engine lives under the bonnet, and is capable of churning out 148kW of power and 320Nm of torque. Power is then sent to the wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox.
And if you were wondering about AWD you can check that box too. The GS7 features a system that is capable of dealing with a variety of terrain. This is thanks to a program that, in theory, works like Land Rover’s Terrain Response. Using a knob, drivers can select between basic hindrances like sand and snow. The system then registers the driver’s choice and adjusts the traction-control system accordingly.
Trumpchi EnSpirit Concept
The marque showed that it’s also capable of keeping up with technological trends by displaying its EnSpirit plug-in hybrid concept.
The SUV features a slanting roofline that lends it a coupe-like side profile. Furthermore, it even takes the SUV/coupe style one step further with the addition of a sliding cloth roof.
In concept form, it’s powered by a 1.5-litre engine coupled to an electric motor, which GAC claims can achieve an all-electric range of around 80km.