Voyah says its electric Passion S has completed a 360-degree run around the inside of a tunnel. It apparently took some practice to get there.
The Chinese carmaker released footage on Aug 13 showing the Passion S driving around the wall and ceiling of a specially prepared section of a closed tunnel in Wuhan before returning upright. The exercise recreated the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG tunnel-loop advertisement featuring Michael Schumacher.
Dongfeng Motor-owned Voyah said the successful run used a production-spec car and was recorded without special effects. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive Passion S develops 475kW and 765Nm, with the manoeuvre requiring an entry speed of about 130kph.
Launched in China today, the Passion S comes in three variants priced from 229,900 to 279,900 yuan (RM139,300-RM169,600), or 223,900 to 273,900 yuan (RM135,700-RM166,000) for a limited period. Two battery sizes, 81.6kWh and 98.1kWh, deliver claimed CLTC ranges of 630km to 700km, while an 800V architecture supports 5C charging.
As for the stunt, not every attempt went according to plan.
Sina reported that footage from an earlier test showed a camouflaged Passion S reaching the upper part of the tunnel before dropping onto the floor, with sparks visible on impact. It was not the final successful run.
The first promotional video (shown below) still prompted doubts because of its camera cuts. At today’s launch, Voyah responded with what it described as multi-angle footage and an uninterrupted, one-take recording of the completed run (top clip).
So yes, it made it around. Just not necessarily on every try.
