These days you can get just about any option you want in a car, from TVs to refrigerators. You have never been able to get a fish-tank, though, which is disappointing.Â
Thankfully, Chinese automaker Guangzhou Auto has answered the world’s prayers with the WitStar concept that debuted at the Guangzhou Auto Show.
The WitStar looks like pretty standard concept car fair from the outside. In fact, it looks sort of like a hyper-futuristic Nissan Murano. That’s not a bad start, but it also doesn’t stand out from the field. What makes the WitStar special is honestly pretty damn silly; it’s the fish tank armrest in the backseat.
It looks like goldfish come as standard, but, maybe if it were ever produced, you could upgrade to fancier fish, like some nice carp, as an optional extra.
So why fish? Well clearly it’s just awesome, but Guangzhou Auto actually has a point to make. The WitStar is supposed to be an autonomous vehicle that will be so safe you never have to worry about your prized aquatic passengers dying in a crash.
According to Car News China, the autonomous driving system uses optical cameras and computers to create a 3D image of the world around it. That sounds pretty run-of-the-mill for autonomous car technology, but don’t get your hopes up.
If you look closely at the WitStar you will see that it is on a static frame and a rather large portion of the interior appears to be carved from foam.
Still, that hasn’t stopped Guangzhou Auto from coming up with a fancy theoretical gas/electric powertrain. The setup is an extended-range EV, where, like a Chevy Volt, the wheels are driven purely by electric motors, but you can get extra juice from an onboard gas engine. But given that the hood – like the rest of this car – is fake, we are just going to have to take Guangzhou’s media folks’ word on this.
This is truly a concept, then, rather than a demonstrator or a prototype. But that’s not all bad; concepts are about fanciful ideas and aspiration. And what Guangzhou is saying with this car is that it has high hopes and access to fish.
(Main Photo Credit: Car News China)
Editors' Recommendations
- We tested the self-driving Mercedes tech so advanced, it’s not allowed in the U.S.
- Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class takes a subtle approach to tech
- Tesla recalls 130,000 U.S. vehicles over touchscreen safety issue
- How a big blue van from 1986 paved the way for self-driving cars
- 2023 Toyota Sequoia supersizes hybrid tech
