Huawei-owned Shenlan S7 interior revealed with holographic HUD system

11 June 2023

Shenlan is an EV brand from Changan Auto, which enlisted help from Huawei and CATL to bring the brand to the market. Huawei provides the technology through the Huawei DriveONE program, while CATL provides battery power. Changan is responsible for assembling the vehicles, and with this much pedigree, the Shenlan S7 starts looking like a very compelling EV.

But compelling is not enough in the Chinese EV market - Mercedes EQE or BMW i3 may be seen as compelling, but their sales numbers in China are disappointing. For a new EV brand to break into the biggest electric car market in the world, it has to stand out, it has to offer something nobody else offers. Cue holographic head-up display system.

Shenlan S7 is preparing for its debut, the presale is already on, and at the asking price of RMB 169,000 ($23,900), the Tesla Model Y wanna-be competitor has potentially a lot to win. The company officially unveiled the classy interior of the S7 and showcased the latest technology courtesy of Huawei.

The infotainment is powered by HarmonyOS as expected, and the experience is powered by Snapdragon 8155 as it is the standard these days. But the all-new holographic head-up-display is quite something - the full color and 3D images appear to be floating about 295.3 inches away from the driver, hovering in the air just above the road.

The brightness of the system adjusts automatically, depending on the time of day and weather conditions. The system takes into account road surface and surrounding as well, it adjusts accordingly if the car is in the tunnel or on a sandy track. The 3D augmented navigation overlays the instructions over the road making driving in an unknown area easy as if the driver was local.

The whole system seems to be intuitive, and it completely negates the need for an instrument cluster. That’s why the Shenlan S7 has only one center screen - it’s large though. At 15.6-inch it proudly takes center stage, and can cleverly adjust its angle depending on the situation. It automatically recognizes if only the driver is in the car and points itself toward them, if the passenger jumps in - the screen adjusts to be best visible to both.

Another screen hides in the passenger’s sun visor - the 12.3-inch display is dedicated to entertainment and can be controlled by touch or voice as well. On top of that, both front seats feature a zero-gravity massage option - they fully recline to offer the best relaxation possible. The passenger seat has an integrated seatbelt allowing the occupant to travel in the reclined position - clever attention to detail. Add to it double-glazed frameless windows, and the S7 starts looking like a premium SUV.

The Shenlan S7 looks attractive - both from the outside and on the inside. It is available with a 160 kW (215 hp) electric motor and CLTC range of 323 miles or 385 miles when paired with a larger battery. The EREV version has a 175 kW (235 hp) electric motor, a gasoline-powered range extender, and two battery options - the smaller has a 75 miles range, the larger is rated at 124 miles by the very optimistic CLTC standards.

The first units of the Shenlan S7 are rolling off the production line, and the vehicle will officially go on sale by the end of this month. The deliveries will begin immediately, and the company is teasing another version of the S7 to be available soon - a hydrogen fuel cell option instead of a gasoline range extender. The top-of-the-range Shenlan S7 is priced at $33,800, and with all the options included - this is a really tempting proposition. Will we see it outside of China?

Via