GAC unveils Hyper-Luxury concept car

GAC’s ultra-creative Milan studio has revealed its latest concept car, devised and built in the space of months in time for the Salone. It should come as no surprise: it’s done this four years in a row now.

This year, the theme was Hyper Luxury and the result is a sleek, two-seat coupe that draws inspiration from the Bugatti Type 57.

In many cases, sources of inspiration are conceptual but here they were literally laid out on the table, from iconic watches and planes (Concorde, you may know of it) and luxury handbags. As it happens, these are personal items donated by the team of 18 designers and many coming from studio chief Stephane Janin.

The orange interior reveals itself in the same way as the red lining of a Chanel handbag, and we noticed the headrest is also shaped like a Chanel purse. A happy accident, it turns out.

The interior also features a suspended seating system, which senior designer Valerio Vessella says was inspired by Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi. It builds on a similar concept devised for the earlier Barchetta concept shown in 2022, nicely positioned within the studio this year as well.

The team also rethought how headlamps are integrated, popping up like columns on the bonnet itself. It is a nicely finished scale model as all others in the Car Culture series have been and from chatting with troops involved in the project, it was fun to work on.

”For Stefan and his team, the work that is prepared for Milan Design Week becomes their mission and their passion. They just love doing things for [the show],” says Zhang. “And right after this year’s event, they will start to think about the next topic, starting to design, putting materials together, making models. It’s become a tradition for this studio.”

Naturally, the sparkle of a Cartier Santos caught our eye but Zhang explains that it – along with the other luxury goods – are there to illustrate the philosophy behind Hyper Luxury.

“The Cartier reflects how those watches were originally only about functionality, but eventually became a luxury symbol,” he explains. “And these are products that were made by hand, Concorde too, they contain the spirit, the warmth and passion of a human being.”

As always, there were some nice auxilliary touches to the event. This year, the team created a guide that lists their favourite places to eat, drink and perhaps buy a few treats. Everything here seems to be made in-house – even the studio’s lamps are 3D-printed replicas of vintage lamps sourced nearby – and although there are defined job titles, everyone seems to muck in where they can.

Interior design specialist Géraud Gordias led the production of this guide, nicely printed and presented in its own translucent envelope and even given a custom wax seal. Other designers helped create the visuals for this year’s Car Culture concept. It is an advanced design studio that has gone back to basics with regards to teamwork.

“We all like to try different things here, and we love doing these kind of accessories,” Gordias told CDN. “I think it helps people to feel the vibe and the level of quality we are dealing with every day.”