Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor Co., whose brands include Trumpchi, Gonow, and Changfeng, is set to unveil a new unmanned concept car Monday, during the press preview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
"The Witstar exemplifies the perfect integration of the electrification and intellectualization trends, and is a brave automotive innovation and breakthrough," says Wu Song, general manager of GAC Motor. "I feel confident that this extraordinary vehicle will lead the revolution of future car technologies."
Based on GAC Motor's independently developed and proprietary Bclass passenger vehicle platform, the Witstar uses an environment sensing system, composed of laser radar, millimeter wave radar, high speed CCD camera, infrared camera, and GPS, which collects and processes environment information in real-time to obtain the 3-D map around the car.
The autonomous driving controller is the core of the car's intelligent driving decision capability, which makes the driving decisions and programs the car's pathway based on the environment information and vehicle state, Song says.
He adds the Witstar's autonomous driving actuator outputs the expected electric signal according to the driving decision and monitors the driver operations to control the car to accelerate, decelerate, steer, and brake.
The car can function both day and night and can achieve a top speed of 99 miles per hour and an acceleration from 0 to 31 mph within 4.5 seconds. The vehicle can drive for about 60 miles on electric alone, and more than 370 miles when also using fuel.
In addition to the Witstar, GAC Motor will also reveal its new GS4 fuel efficient SUV next week. "Amid internationally decreasing gas prices and a measurable rise in SUV and truck sales, timing is prime for the GS4," Song says.
