The Beijing Auto Show, increasingly regarded as one of the most important events on the automotive calendar, saw GWM unveil a concept SUV that previews the design direction of the Haval SUV sub-brand.
The stunning Haval Coupe Concept was announced by new design director Pierre Leclercq* as a “concept-to-be model”, which previews the Haval Sport series currently being developed by GWM’s international technical team for global consumers.
The Concept Coupe measures 4 746 mm in length and has a long wheelbase of 2 950 mm, promising very generous interior space. No specifics were revealed, but it is known that the Coupe Concept uses a plug-in hybrid drivetrain and all-wheel drive. It is claimed to consume only 2,2 litres of fuel per 100 km.
Grabbing the headlines, however, is the Coupe Concept’s exterior design. Featuring a particularly striking upright LED lighting arrangement front and rear, the Coupe Concept remains instantly recognisable even in the dark. Befitting its “coupe” moniker, the roofline slopes towards the rear. Combine this with a gradually rising shoulder line, and the result is a very muscular, sporty machine. Other details to highlight include the symmetrical, square-shaped exhaust outlets and striking two-tone 22-inch alloy wheels.
A production version of the Coupe Concept is expected to be revealed in 2016.
*About Pierre Leclercq
Highly acclaimed automotive designer, Pierre Leclercq, formerly the head of design at BMW’s M division in Munich, recently joined GWM as head of design. Belgian-born Leclercq will lead a team of no fewer than 130 designers in Baoding (where GWM’s headquarters are situated) as well as a smaller team based in the company’s Shanghai design studio.
Leclercq studied industrial design from 1990 to 1994 at the Institut St Luc Liege in Belgium, before moving to the Art Centre College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 1996. He started his career at BMW in 2000, when he was recruited by Adrian van Hooydonk to the German brand’s Designworks studio in California. Previously he had also worked for Ford and Zagato.
Within five years he had moved to Munich to take up a role as senior exterior designer, where he was responsible for a number of important BMW models, including the X5 and X6. In 2011 he was appointed as Design Chief BMW M, in charge of all future product, including the recently revealed M3 and M4 models.
