Beijing 2016: Karlmann King is a $1.85m vision in fractals
Overblown SUV could herald an extreme end of a new customising trend in China
One of the key developments in Chinese consumer tastes in car design is for bodysides to feature generous section and a number of feature lines. The Karlmann King is what happens when that trend is pushed a little further.
Priced at 12million RMB, or $1.85million, the gigantic SUV’s exterior is a brutal, angular collection of matte-black shapes that give the car a look that’s straight out of a Batman movie.
The car’s entire body is covered in stealth-vehicle-like shapes, with the area around the rear door and fender being particularly eye-catching, certainly more so than the Lamborghinis parked on the stand next door.
The car is the work of China’s Unique Club and acts as an attention-grabbing flagship for the firm’s customisation work – a pretty rugged upgrade of the BAIC BJ20 was also on display.
But while the larger car is an extreme example, it appears to represent a growing trend we’ve seen in wealthier parts of Beijing and Shanghai where buyers are opting to personalise cars more and more in order to make them unique.
More widely, more people in China are opting for vibrant colours that make cars stand out from the automotive crowd in a way that hasn’t been seen before. It’ll be interesting to see how this trend evolves as Chinese car culture continues to develop.