Great Wall Motors this week unveiled two new modular vehicle platforms and a digital platform designed to transform the company into a global technology driven mobility company, according to local reports.
The automaker said the new technology platform, codenamed Smart Coffee, will encompass autonomous driving systems, electrical systems and smart cabins compatible with the ethernet, 5G and vehicle to everything (V2E) technology.
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The Level 3 autonomous driving system was developed using 50 test vehicles covering 1m km of road trials combined.
The system will be initially deployed in models in 2021 and will eventually transition to Level 4 and above.
Great Wall describes its Smart Coffee platform as its “digital engine” for transitioning into a global mobility company. It will first feature in its upmarket Wey models from 2021.
The company said it had been working on the two modular vehicle platforms for the last five years, with investments of up to CNY20bn (US$2.9bn), which will form the basis on new model development going forward.
The first, codenamed ‘Lemon’, was described as a flexible and scalable platform that can be used for subcompact models up to full size vehicles, including SUVs, saloon cars and MPVs.
It can accommodate four different powertrain types, including internal combustion engines, hybrid systems, battery powered and fuel cell electric.
The company said its Lemon engines would have a heat efficiency of 51.5% in 2025 while its second generation fuel cell powertrains would provide a range of up to 1,100km.
The second vehicle platform is codenamed ‘Tank’ and is designed for off road vehicles.
It is designed to accommodate its two- and three litre turbocharged engines coupled with a vertically deployed nine speed automatic gearbox.
The three litre engine has a maximum power output of 260kW and 500Nm of torque with heat efficiency of 38%.
