Photo: Weltmeister
Remember when concepts used to be all about horsepower, acceleration, and top speed? You should, because it's only been ten years or so since things have shifted in the world of mostly imaginary vehicles. Nowadays, if a concept car doesn't have electric propulsion and self-driving capabilities, it's either a Ferrari or wants to be one.
But not everything is lost. We have Tesla and more to the point, Elon Musk's dorkiness, to thank for the bi-dimensional nature of all upcoming EVs, be they real, slightly real, or just straight out of cuckoo land. The newcomer will have to measure up to the rest of the bunch on two aspects: the boring yet useful maximum range, and the exciting yet mostly useless in day-to-day driving ability to hit 60 miles per hour quicker than your mind can comprehend.
A "Tesla killer," the expression used by the media to extinction a few years ago to make any future car seem more interesting than it was, has to focus on both. The Weltmeister Maven concept has no intention of ending Tesla's life, however, so it boasts with a very impressive range of 500 miles (or 800 km).
"Yawn," you'll say, and we can't blame you. When it comes to concepts, you can slap any sort of numbers you can think of on them, and nobody will argue because it would be a complete waste of everybody's time. However, even though the Weltmeister name might be new to your ears, the company does have two actual products that aren't that bad, so there might be more to the Maven than first impressions would have us believe.
The Chinese company (I know, this Mandarin starts to sound more and more like German) produces two electric SUVs, the EX5 and EX6 Plus, and they come with perfectly respectable figures. The latter is the newest of the two and uses a 69 kWh battery for a maximum range of 323 miles (520 km) according to the NEDC. Factor in the difference between the European cycle and EPA's stricter standards and the fact Tesla's Model S Long Range Plus has an EPA-rated range of 390 miles (620 km), that's still quite impressive for an SUV with a significantly smaller battery.
The Maven, however, isn't an SUV - it's a sexy-looking sedan with a sloping roofline, sleek profile, and a very bold behind. It also looks like it offers the kind of interior space we've come to expect from an EV, with the cabin pushed way forward to the front for excellent legroom all-round the presumably five seats.
But while the exterior looks like something that could very well be put together by a line of assembly robots in just a few months and with only minor tweaks, the interior is a completely different proposition. It's so wacky that you should pretend that image doesn't even exist and ignore it altogether. We get it: it'll have large displays and very few - if any - physical buttons, but what concept doesn't these days?
The best thing about the Maven concept is its reported range. With 500 miles (800 km) to spare and the ability to charge most of that in less than an hour (the current EX6 Plus tops 80% of its pack in 35 minutes), the Chinese EV would be the ultimate range anxiety-killer for anyone who doesn't look to travel 501 miles or more without making a stop. There's no word on the price, but Weltmeister is apparently aiming for a 2022 release of the battery-powered sedan, so stay tuned for more.
A "Tesla killer," the expression used by the media to extinction a few years ago to make any future car seem more interesting than it was, has to focus on both. The Weltmeister Maven concept has no intention of ending Tesla's life, however, so it boasts with a very impressive range of 500 miles (or 800 km).
"Yawn," you'll say, and we can't blame you. When it comes to concepts, you can slap any sort of numbers you can think of on them, and nobody will argue because it would be a complete waste of everybody's time. However, even though the Weltmeister name might be new to your ears, the company does have two actual products that aren't that bad, so there might be more to the Maven than first impressions would have us believe.
The Chinese company (I know, this Mandarin starts to sound more and more like German) produces two electric SUVs, the EX5 and EX6 Plus, and they come with perfectly respectable figures. The latter is the newest of the two and uses a 69 kWh battery for a maximum range of 323 miles (520 km) according to the NEDC. Factor in the difference between the European cycle and EPA's stricter standards and the fact Tesla's Model S Long Range Plus has an EPA-rated range of 390 miles (620 km), that's still quite impressive for an SUV with a significantly smaller battery.
The Maven, however, isn't an SUV - it's a sexy-looking sedan with a sloping roofline, sleek profile, and a very bold behind. It also looks like it offers the kind of interior space we've come to expect from an EV, with the cabin pushed way forward to the front for excellent legroom all-round the presumably five seats.
But while the exterior looks like something that could very well be put together by a line of assembly robots in just a few months and with only minor tweaks, the interior is a completely different proposition. It's so wacky that you should pretend that image doesn't even exist and ignore it altogether. We get it: it'll have large displays and very few - if any - physical buttons, but what concept doesn't these days?
The best thing about the Maven concept is its reported range. With 500 miles (800 km) to spare and the ability to charge most of that in less than an hour (the current EX6 Plus tops 80% of its pack in 35 minutes), the Chinese EV would be the ultimate range anxiety-killer for anyone who doesn't look to travel 501 miles or more without making a stop. There's no word on the price, but Weltmeister is apparently aiming for a 2022 release of the battery-powered sedan, so stay tuned for more.
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