Former Volkswagen China CP unveils his new EV brand and its first concept car

Over the decades the automotive brands have been looking for ways to differentiate through either quality, unusual designs or technological innovation. Mercedes was the first with seat belts, Citroen made hydro-suspension a mainstream feature. There were others that never caught on - doors sliding under the body and turbine cars among many weird and wonderful ideas.

Sat-nav used to be a gimmick, big screens were classed as wild ideas - heck, power windows were luxury and air-con was reserved for the richest. You get all of that now in a tiny Dacia Spring. But the fight to be different goes on and the former VP of Volkswagen China just took that fight to another level.

Weiming Soh, who must have learned a lot about customers' needs during his time with VW, just unveiled his own electric car brand BeyonCa. During the official event, he presented his company’s first concept car.

Gran Turismo Opus 1 is a preview of a production car that the company will unveil in spring of next year. Befitting the company’s name that stands for “Go Beyond the Car” (kinda obvious that one) the car will offer for the very first time - unless you count ambulances - a full real-time health monitoring system.

Its dynamic logo pales in comparison to the HaaS (Health as a Service) but still deserves attention - it resembles human DNA and it is constantly swirling. According to the company, the new logo creates a “window for human-vehicle communications” - most likely it will be capable of displaying much more than just a swirling DNA.

The Gran Turismo Opus 1 will be apparently followed by a sportier version carrying the RS name. The company tasked a team of expert doctors and engineers to create the world’s first HaaS. The car will offer health management and smart healthcare solutions thanks to integrated AI. The smart cockpit will provide passengers with real-life health monitoring - expect a more comprehensive experience than you get these days from your smartwatch.

BeyonCa was only founded last year, but the company counts Dongfeng as one of its main investors. Weiming Soh worked for 16 years with VW and was the CEO of Renault China as well. The company has offices in China, Germany and Singapore, its 3 R&D centers are based in China, the design center is in Munich and Singapore will be upgraded to technology center status.

The car’s design is striking, it was meant to take on Porsche Taycan, but it is clearly a much larger vehicle. It will be more expensive as well, the rumors point to a RMB 1 million retail price (nearly $138,000). The GT Opus 1 is full of meticulous details, but it is a concept car - it will be interesting how much of it is carried to a production model. For now - BeyonCa made a splash and created big waves, let’s see if it can swim.

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