It's nighttime in China, and Buick has just concluded an evening event the day before the first – and only – press day of the Shanghai Motor Show. The star of this evening's party was the Buick Riviera concept vehicle, a plug-in electric hybrid coupe that the automaker says gives a glimpse at its future design direction, not to mention resurrecting some nomenclature from the brand's history that includes a similarly named concept from 2007.
The shape of the Riviera is said to be inspired by water. While the traditional Buick "waterfall" grille is present, the front end gains a more aggressive note thanks to what appear to be vertical air inlets below each headlight.
As for the concept's drivetrain, Buick says it uses General Motors' new dual-mode wireless plug-in hybrid electric vehicle propulsion system, or W-PHEV for short. The keyword there is 'wireless,' as the Riviera can charge its onboard battery packs with a traditional cable or wirelessly via a "sensory recharge panel" underneath the car.
The car's other features include 10 high-res cameras and 18 micro high-precision sensors for image and distance monitoring of objects in the vehicle's path, which are then displayed on the inside of the windshield for the driver as a holographic image. Other electronic goodies include baked-in 4G LTE internet connection, night view assist, eagle view (like Nissan's Around View Monitor), full-range adaptive cruise control, an autopilot system and something Buick calls "transparent" A-pillars. A lot of this sounds like concept car hokum, but buried there somewhere beneath all that future-tech is an aesthetic Buick hopes will resonate with buyers, and maybe a production coupe it can sell in both China and the US.
Source : 
No comments:
Post a Comment