Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), which boasts of an upcoming Model X semi-autonomous electric car, gets a challenger from China’s GAC WitStar. Showcased at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, the WitStar model from GAC Motors in Guangzhou, China resembled the look of the Model X, according to Business Insider, and amazed audience with a particularly wild feature, a fish tank in the interior.
While Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s Model X sports “Falcon Wing” doors, the WitStar comes with exteriors that is noticeably enhanced by its “Tesla Model X-esque” gullwing doors, prompting observers to note the luxury SUV vehicle as GAC’s counterpart to Tesla’s much anticipated Model X. The WitStar comes with an extended electric powertrain, enhanced by an autodrive capability.
Anchored on a sedan platform, the WitStar has a driving range of over 62 miles, and it is equipped with a 1.0 liter four-cylinder gas power generator that will take over once its 13 kwH lithium-ion battery is drained of power. Overall, the vehicles driving range extends to 372 miles, and it can achieve a mpg of 117. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s Model X, on the other hand, features a more superior three battery power options, with its 60kWh, 85kWh and 85kWh ‘Performance’, which allows it to have different tweaks when it comes to its driving range specs.
Just like Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s Model X, which is expected to feature an autopilot system as in Model S, GAC’s WitStar also comes with its own line-up of autonomous drive technology. Motor Trend, cited by Business Insider, reports that the luxury vehicle will feature a self-drive system composed of GPS, high-speed CCD camera, infrared camera, and laser radar. These equipments will collect data that will be used to create a 3D map of the area surrounding the vehicle and to control driving functions such as acceleration, brakes, and steering.
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This article has been written by Nonito Guntan.
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