The Changan UV (Ultraefficient Vehicle) is a concept that not only comes up with innovative, practical solutions based on near-future technology and expectations; it also strives to use them in the most efficient and practical way, articulating an all-new design semantics based on clear, subtle geometries and light traces. The final result is a vehicle with a bold, minimalistic look, reduced physical and environmental footprint and countless, exciting futures ahead.The UV combines innovative, state of the art technologies and composite materials to deliver the best user experience at the best energy cost and lowest environmental footprint. With a length of slightly more than three meters, four-five seat setup and autonomous driving it offers the perfect package for both the city and short highway trips, balancing practicality and comfort in a global and local context.ConceptThe starting conceptual point towards designing this concept car for Changan will be to forget almost everything we know about cars today, unknow what we know or at least what we think we know about what our society wants and needs, about what a car has come to look for the past 100+ years. That does not mean that we throw away absolutely everything; basic design and beauty notions, the foundations of our international culture but in a more Chinese frame of reference are here to stay. In fact, our human and cultural values, our most basic considerations of what is or is not likeable will be the first step towards re-imagining and reinventing what might well define the future of transportation in the years and decades to come.Four wheels and the platform connecting them (and probably also housing the battery), this is our stripped-down cart, the starting point of our rethinking of a whole new generation of transportation. Besides being a potential new production car, the UV is also a standalone template for a whole new range or philosophy in designing transportation, so each element or solution proposed below was thought to be incorporated into other designs.The four wheels arches are the only part of the platform which reserve some extra space for themselves, since all the powertrain, steering and main control mechanics is projected to be located around them. Because of the new functionality, the wheel arches also acquire a new symbolic meaning / function; they are the container and transmitter of power, the muscular has shifted from the engine hood to all around the wheels. This is reflected in the different treatment of the wheel arches in relation to the body; they are slightly protruded, highlighted by a different material and a more regular geometry than the rest of the car. Even though they transcend the idea of power, this is done in an ultimately clean and simplistic language; they are basically solid, silent rings contrasting the transparent, dark space between and beyond them.
