Chery’s Tianji Vision concept is Exeedingly luxurious

We recently spoke with Chery’s head of interior design Michael Duerr who staked the bold claim of being the most productive studio in Europe. Evidence is mounting to back that up.

Alongside the recent fanfare of the Omoda and Jaecoo brands, there is another emerging prospect – Exeed – which sits as a premium brand in the Chery portfolio. It drew quite the crowd at this year’s Shanghai auto show with the Tianji Vision concept, a sleek full-size SUV that is drippingin technology, premium materials and calming earthy tones.

True to the collaborative nature of a global company, design was split across two studios with exterior work led in Shanghai while interior design was handled by Duerr’s team in Frankfurt. We saw a similar strategy for another recent concept from Chery, the Journeo. If this is more experimental, the Tianji Vision is more realistic.

At first glance, it could pass for a production-ready luxury SUV with conventional proportions and clean bodywork. Closer inspection reveals some outlandish details, from the intricate eight-spoke wheel design to integrated spotlights in the wheel arches and boot spoiler. The tail lamps appear holographic with two horizontal bars supported by a trio of lights underneath that have the appearance of uncut cobalt gems. But as a complete package, it is the stance, gentle surfacing and muscular massing around the arches that do the heavy lifting. It’s a handsome brute.

The interior was built around the idea of ”a sanctuary of quiet luxury” and things get off to a good start with pillarless suicide doors and not one but two steps to avoid overstretching in your fancy outfit. The seats also tilt towards the passenger on entry, and towards the steps on exit.

Alongside the expected massaging, heated and cooled seats, there is the ability for a “zero-gravity recline” and speakers that are embedded in the headrest, seatback and armrests. The team says this quite literally “allows you to feel the music.” If that wasn’t enough, there is also a cinema screen.

A blend of cream, violet and midnight purple combine for the interior CMF, supported by purple ambient lighting in the footwells. Shiny surfaces of any kind appear to be kept to a minimum, with a satin copper effect used sparingly on the yoke steering wheel, IP and centre console. Behind-the-scenes images shared with CDN show the creative process of the interior coming together.

“In general, technology is seamlessly integrated to avoid visual clutter in the cabin ambience,” the team says, “from the windshield-integrated panoramic display, our slide-up central display in the console and capacitive touch controls; a tea set beautifully rises up from the console; and a built-in refrigerator and storage unit for glasses – that also is a dishwasher – prepares the car for the next trip.”