Chevrolet goes back to the future

As fulfilling as it could be to look back at 100 years of motoring legacy, it can also be extremely challenging to build on that heritage and visualise growth over the next few decades.

Chevrolet, which is celebrating a century of existence, has made an attempt at doing that with a futuristic concept revealed at the Seoul motor show last week.

Aptly named Mi-ray, which apparently means ‘future’ in Korean, the striking roadster gives us a taste of what future cars from Chevrolet could look like, while drawing inspiration from the company’s sportscar heritage. In fact, the design has been heavily influenced by classics like the 1963 Corvair Monza SS and the 1962 Corvair Super Spyder.

Unveiling the concept, GM Korea president and CEO Mike Arcamone said the concept offers “an exploration of future possibilities for the brand... strengthening the bond between car and driver [and] creating a fresh look at what sportscars of the future might be.”

Developed at GM’s Korean design studio, the Mi-ray is made of carbon fibre and carbon fibre reinforced plastic, with its wedge-shaped body accentuated by a literally glowing character line. Apart from carbon fibre spoilers, the Mi-ray benefits from additional airflow management provided by two retractable flaps that double up as lids for the fuel filler on one side and the electric charge port on the other, which also features a battery charge indicator. The wheels are 20in up front and 21in at the rear.

Making way for entry to the twin cockpit interior made up of a mix of leather, fabric and brushed aluminium, are two scissor doors. The smooth flowing compartment is surrounded by a carbon fibre shell, which merges the exterior with the interior and integrates an air scarf for al fresco driving.

Retractable rear-view cameras take the place of side mirrors, while a forward-facing camera works in tandem with the car’s GPS overlapping navigation information with real-time video. All the other important information is meanwhile relayed via a head-up display unit.

The Mi-ray has what Chevrolet has dubbed as an experimental “mid-electric” drivetrain located under and behind the seats. The two front-mounted 15kW electric motors are powered by a 1.6kWh lithium-ion battery that gets charged by regenerative braking energy.

This ensures zero emissions urban motoring, while the 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine kicks in when additional performance is needed. The mid-ship mounted unit features an auto stop-start function and is coupled to a dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels through an electronically controlled differential.

Good. Now build it, pronto!