KATHMANDU : Dongfeng has recreated one of Mercedes-Benz’s most controversial car ads with its new Voyah Passion S electric SUV. The company claims the SUV completed a full 360-degree loop inside a tunnel in Wuhan, China.
The stunt was inspired by a Mercedes-Benz advertisement from 2010. In the original video, Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher appeared to drive a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG upside down inside a tunnel.
Dongfeng says its stunt was different because it used a standard production Voyah Passion S. The stunt was performed inside a closed test tunnel in Wuhan.
According to Dongfeng, engineers calculated that the SUV needed to enter the first ramp at around 130 km/h with a steering angle of 16 degrees. The speed generated enough centrifugal force to keep the vehicle on the tunnel surface as it completed the loop.
The company says the Voyah Passion S is the first production vehicle to successfully complete a 360-degree tunnel loop. The SUV reached the second ramp and stopped safely after completing the stunt.
The Voyah Passion S is priced from around $45,600 in China. It uses an 800-volt electrical system and a 98 kWh battery pack.
The two-wheel-drive version has a claimed CLTC range of up to 740 km. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive version offers up to 698 km of range.
The AWD version produces 637 hp and can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in around 4.5 seconds.
The SUV features double-wishbone front suspension and a five-link independent rear setup. It also gets electronically controlled dampers and air suspension.
Inside, the Voyah Passion S features two 15.6-inch screens and a 29-inch augmented-reality head-up display.
The SUV also uses several Huawei technologies, including a lidar-based driver-assistance system with 33 sensors.
