SAIC-GM-Wuling Unveils Radical NEV Concept for ASEAN Market

SAIC-GM-Wuling unveils a radical NEV concept that previews future models for the ASEAN market.

China-based automotive joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) is slated to expand its international reach further, as the company recently announced a new strategy for the ASEAN market. In a bid to not bore fans and auto enthusiasts with numbers and sales targets, the company instead unveiled a new concept car that will serve as a basis for future models in the region.

The new 'Light of ASEAN' concept will serve as a basis for the brand's upcoming NEV models for the ASEAN market.

Cordially known as the ‘Light of ASEAN’, this radical new energy (NEV) concept car features a sleek two-door GT body style that is decked with tons of bold design cues. For starters, the concept’s front end is dominated by its Y-shaped lighting signature a la Lancia’s Pu+Ra HPE Concept, flanked by a pair of sharp LED headlights with two side air vents placed below them.

What’s more radical than its sharp front face are the massive gullwing-style doors, which reveal this sporty GT concept’s four-seater layout once they are opened. At the rear, the concept sports a fastback-style tail that features slim full-width LED taillights and a floating rear wing. Combined with its sleek silhouette, the latter part garners the concept with an ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.18 Cd, SGMW claims. 

On board, the Light of ASEAN concept gets a pretty high-tech cabin setup, featuring two bucket-style seats at the front, which are mated to a floating front dash that houses its futuristic cockpit setup. Again, we’re certain that none of these futuristic features will trickle its way down to the actual production model, but then again, these are what concept cars are meant for—flaunting your latest and greatest.

Unfortunately, SGMW has yet to unveil any specific details regarding the powertrain setup for the Light of ASEAN concept. One thing’s for certain, the concept will get some form of an electrified powertrain setup, although we can’t be sure which flavour it's going to be.

This radical NEV concept will be part of SGMW's new strategy for the ASEAN market.

The SGMW Light of ASEAN concept will be an integral part of the company’s ambitious “One, Two, Three” for the ASEAN automotive market, which will also include the establishment of a new industry chain for NEVs in the region. This new industry chain is poised to be operational later in 2030, where it will integrate production, sales, service, finance, energy systems, electronic controls, and intelligent electric driving technology across the 10 ASEAN markets.

As of August this year, the SGMW joint venture has shipped more than 1.07 million vehicles across 104 countries and regions, while recently celebrating the production of its two millionth NEV last month.