Geely gets spacey with Vision Starburst concept
The ultra-futuristic yet curiously retro Geely Vision Starburst concept uses lighting and angular body work to make its mark
Remember the film Tron? Jeff Bridges entering a digital world full of neon lights and space-age gadgets? Since its release in 1982, the iconic sci-fi has had an enormous impact on design in all its different forms, including car design.
This is particularly clear when considering certain futuristic concept cars like the Hyundai Prophecy, Buick Electra and Lexus LF-30. Geely has added another concept to the pile, and with it comes some distinctive and innovative ideas.
The Vision Starburst is based on Geely’s “Expanding Cosmos” design philosophy, building on themes previously explored in the Preface Concept that was launched at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show. According to vice president of Geely Design Shanghai Guy Burgoyne, the design 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.”
The exterior is characterised by sculpted body panels, a streamlined silhouette, and new lighting designs. At the front, a thin and continuous strip of LEDs runs vertically on either wheel arch and above the grille, creating a large ‘M’-shape that emphasises the width of the car. The inside of the wheel arches also light up, with many reddish horizontal lines outlining the shape of the arches and extending behind the doors.
The back includes a thin light bar that extends to boomerang-shaped layered light units that sit inside a curved body panel. These are positioned at the very edges of the rear, and with the clean light bar, help to again emphasise the car’s width.
“All the shapes on the car are outwards from the centre, giving the front face a powerful look,” Nico Liu, exterior lead designer, tells Car Design News. “The X-shaped lamps are designed to extend outwards as well. The dynamic features on the fenders and door panels integrate together. All the sharp lines make for bolder shapes and a bolder design.”
A quick glance at the interior suggests a minimalist approach, but on closer inspection, there is much to unpick. Light, again, plays a key role. The dash appears to be separated into several layers, the main focal point being the driver cluster area that consists of glossy black rectangular pieces that are separated by lines of light. Numerous animations with these lights make the cluster alluring and eye-catching, and the animations are continued on a smaller backlit area that runs beneath the sill as well as lights on the door panels.
“For the Vision Starburst interior we took this vision from cosmic rays to create this new instrument panel,” Yoko Yao, interior lead designer, tells Car Design News. “The line extends from the cluster to the top of the IP, which is nicely integrated with the ambient lights. It creates a compelling visual queue.”
Other distinctive features include the large driving mode selector on the centre console, and a wraparound chrome handle that extends up from the console to the IP. There is also a large, flat touchscreen screen floating between the centre console and the dash.
In an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the studio in Shanghai during the upcoming Car Design Dialogues Asia digital event, Geely’s design team will explore the Vision Starburst in great depth and will also present the international premiere of the Cosmos Rhythmic Energy.