This car is by MG's sister company, it's called the Wuling Light of ASEAN, no it's not a joke

At a recent launch conference in Nanning, China, SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) announced its “One, Two, Three” ASEAN strategy to build a new energy vehicle (NEV) industry chain in the region by 2030. It also unveiled a bold concept representing the joint venture’s new goals for Southeast Asia.

Called the “Light of ASEAN”, the concept has a sharp, clean look representing a design language for the region but its biggest draw is the pair of large gullwing doors.

As fancy-looking as it is, we wouldn’t expect this and some of the features shown here to be put into production in 6 years.

No specifications were revealed for the concept car but Chinese media believed that it is intended to run on an electrified powertrain.

The front bears an aggressive yet simple design with a Y-shaped light signature and Lamborghini-inspired sills. The rear has a fastback-style tail accented by flying buttresses for that futuristic, performance look.

The gullwing doors are not the only advanced visionary feature of this ASEAN-targeted car as the rear also has a literal centrepiece that can be removed and turned into an intelligent robot.

The futuristic theme continues inside with a pair of swanky-looking front seats, a steering yoke, and a minimalist dashboard that is nothing but screens. From the images, it seems the screens display surrounding feed from the cameras. The concept also features a "zero-gravity suspension" set-up.

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Indeed, in terms of futuristic mumbo jumbo, the “Light of ASEAN” concept car has enough to make a futurist all excited but where is the ASEAN-inspired design? Where is the batik motif on the seats? Why not put some Indochina-inspired architecture on the exterior?

Those who prefer to take away their drinks in a plastic bag than a cup would be disappointed at the lack of hooks to hang them.

As bold and futuristic as the “Light of ASEAN” concept is, it doesn’t showcase the diverse culture this region has. Then again, this is merely a showpiece to draw people away from the boring facts, figures, and plans.

At the same time as its announcement plans for ASEAN, SGMW also revealed that it has exported more than 1.07 million vehicles across 104 countries and regions as of August 2024. In ASEAN, SGMW is only officially available in Indonesia and Thailand under the Wuling brand with the former being the base of production and R&D for right-hand drive markets.

Some Wuling models are sold as MG or Chevrolet in markets where Wuling isn’t introduced. Still, as SGMW is looking to expand its horizons to the 10 nations that make up members of ASEAN, perhaps the “Light of ASEAN” concept represents something bold for the market, even if it is lacking in some region-inspired flavours.

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