GAC Space, the new Chinese hydrogen-powered minivan concept

Concepts are vehicles that show significant advances in technology, design and performance of future models. Many times they do not represent the technology that will be applied within a relatively short period of time, but they do offer a projection of what may come in a possible future.

GAC has just presented the Space, a futuristic minivan with an attractive, modern and very dynamic design. And something important: it is a vehicle that will run on hydrogen. Let’s take it step by step and look at each of the aspects this futuristic model shows.

A futuristic exterior

On the exterior we find a modern and attractive design. It has very clean lines and lacks complicated decorative details. In the front, we do find a large grille. The manufacturer refers to it as “an illuminated waterfall“. Another feature that catches the eye is the front headlights. These span the full width of the front end and give a very striking light signature.

The shape of the roof keeps the look of a traditional Chinese building. This gives it an interesting rearward slope from the outside, but also means that inside there is more space for the occupants of the cabin. At the rear, the tailgate features a hexagonal design, which continues the theme of the horizontal bars that replace the rear windscreen.

Access to the interior is through a front door located on one of the vehicle’s sides. Behind it there is another door, larger and with a gull-wing opening.

A living room on the GAC Space

The interior of this model is designed to be a comfortable little living room. The GAC Space has a Level 4 autonomous driving capability. In the rear, a sofa has been fitted so that the occupants of the rear row are comfortable during the journey. The front seat can rotate to face the sofa.

The dashboard has three screens integrated into a single panel, and the yoke-style steering wheel retracts when the autonomous driving system is activated. The interior has been designed based on a custom of Chinese scholars, who would sit and meditate beside a stream to enjoy a cup of tea. The interior ambience can change to make it more comfortable or more dynamic, depending on the case.

GAC Space engine

No information has been given about the engine the GAC Space will use, but a leak to Autocar could indicate that it may be a 1.5-litre engine that uses hydrogen as fuel. If this is the engine, it would be very similar to the one Toyota it recently presented and which equips several of its models.

Of course, this concept model is not designed to go into production, but many of its features will arrive in future production models.