Over in Shanghai, it seems Geely is feeling very contemplative, restless, and even a little starry-eyed. They’ve even made up a proper name to express this certain creative surge of inspiration: ‘Expanding Cosmos’. The result of all this is the Vision Starburst. No, it’s not a new brand of soda.
As you can probably guess immediately, this vehicle falls squarely into the concept car category with its ultra-sleek futuristic looks and the general impracticality of its geometric design. In particular, that front end with its single-strip LED illuminator and pronounced grille element, does remind me of any number of show cars by Cadillac, compounded by the fact that both brands have similarly shaped logos.
Geely says the car is meant to push “the boundaries of technology and innovation in the new digital age”, inspired by the stellar phenomena happening above us all the time: “where brilliant nebulas and magnificent elements come together, merging, fusing and finally bursting into new stars. Every new design concept is the result of the combination, fusion, and eruption of different ideas which become new star products that enrich the market.”
Meanwhile, Guy Burgoyne, VP of the automaker’s Shanghai design division, explains: “The Expanding Cosmos philosophy serves as a constant inspiration for our designers to discover a new and holistic design language that satisfies our ever-expanding and increasingly diverse range of customers,”
In search for this DNA in the new digital age, we have pushed the boundaries of technology and innovation. Like the birth of a new star, the ideas from our talented team of global designers combined, fused, and erupted, resulting in the birth of a new design expression, a new vision, our Vision Starburst.” Woah. Far out, dude!
It’ll be very interesting to observe how the visual cues brought about in the Vision Starburst will trickle into Geely’s production vehicles over the next few years as it’s a very different style when compared even to recent concepts like the ICON and its “less is better” design ethos. Clearly, they now reckon more is better.
Underneath that 23rd century body, the overall shape of the Vision Starburst does resemble the Zeekr 001 in terms of its wheelbase and sloping roofline that seems to merge coupe with wagon.
There are more visual curiosities to be found inside, too.
Accessed via four dihedral doors, the entire cabin is dressed in a dark tone with accents of bright colours bleeding through a curated array of sources, obviously meant to convey the colours and tones captured by collapsing nebulas and stellar nurseries.
Its instrument cluster and dashboard are just a series of lines while a very 21st-century (floating) touchscreen is angled in the centre.
The Vision Starburst seems to be a purely visual exercise with some loose connections made to the future of sensor-driven autonomous mobility. Very little thought is seemingly put into its powertrain if any. If we were to hazard a guess, though, the Vision Starburst would obviously be powered by nuclear fusion, just like the stars and cosmic energy that inspired it.
Would love to see this thing in the flesh.
Keyword: Geely’s Vision Starburst Previews Ultra Sleek Future Designs