Chinese EV brand GAC is going after the European market, and to show they’re serious, they’ve opened a new Italian design house!
The company has opened a new R&D center in Milan to help better target the European market. The center is headed by Stéphane Janin, who had also been in charge of concept development at Renault previously.
Now, the Milan center has marked its opening with a follow-up to its awesome, 1255 HP Aion Hyper SSR hypercar with the unveiling of another driver-focused EV. Meet the Barchetta EV concept — a small, lightweight roadster that “folds up,” turtle-style, when parked, giving it a more futuristic look than that of the visually related GAC Time concept from 2021.
Making a lightweight EV is itself a challenge, so GAC had to rethink the battery design and use lighter materials like aluminum for the body, recycled plastic on the interior, and by-wire connections rather than mechanical ones.
According to Janin, the Barchetta EV concept was fully designed using digital tools and was completed in two months. Pretty impressive.
GAC Barchetta Electric Roadster Concept
SOURCE | MORE PHOTOS: GAC, VIA MOTORAUTHORITY.
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