Author: Trainee Driver

In 2021, what do we know about cars?

It has been over a century since the first car was invented in the world. After numerous reforms and updates, it has evolved into today’s modern cars. As the times change rapidly, so do cars. People’s aesthetic standards for cars have also changed with the times. Just like the once-popular square cars are now being influenced by the sleek designs of Japanese cars.

On August 29, 2021, the Chengdu Auto Show officially opened, and the WEY brand introduced a new retro-style SUV. As the official name of the car has not yet been announced, all we can see are the four words “Retro Trendy Car”. Seeing the car’s appearance for the first time, the first thing that comes to mind is “Vintage Car”. The exterior adopts an extremely retro design style, better described as “crossing time and space” rather than being labeled as “retro”.

That’s right, the car industry is currently going through a wave of retro fever. Since the Ora Punk Cat appeared at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, retro car models have once again caught the public’s attention and ignited discussions. So, can WEY’s Retro Trendy Car take you back to the last century? Let’s take a look together.

When you see this Retro Trendy Car among many new cars, it gives off a strong sense of contrast, like a modern guy wearing traditional clothes. The car is adorned with a large amount of chrome decorations, and many details incorporate retro elements. The front of the car is dominated by a large grille, with rows of horizontal chrome bars linked to the thick chrome lower surround. The round headlamps and fog lamps combined with it create a vintage atmosphere, making the front of the car full of retro vibes.

Circular headlight designs are hard to come by on modern cars, except for retro-style models. Details are often the most effective way to highlight connotations. The edge of the headlamp is adorned with a circle of chrome decorations, exuding a delicate and elegant atmosphere. Although it is not difficult to tell that it’s an LED light source, it still reminds people of kerosene lamps used in cars over a century ago.

The style of the new car’s rearview mirror, of course, must also conform to the retro style of the entire car. The unique design, with the color contrast between chrome and white paint, breaks the monotony of a plain color car. The use of round elements in the mirror design echoes with the headlamps, revealing a design that prioritizes aesthetics over practicality.

The door handles also adopt a chrome-plated style. Delicate and small design elements are full of classical charm. The button-style door opening method allows you to enter the car more elegantly.

Unlike conventional models, we can see that the hood is directly connected to the panel below the windshield, and air outlets and wiper shafts are designed on the panel.

Since it is a retro model, the wheel hub is no exception. The densely spoked wheel hub is the finishing touch for the retro appearance of the entire car. The new car adopts 20-inch German Continental EcoContact 6 tires with a tire size of 235/55 R20 V. The decorative cover in the center of the wheel hub also incorporates some details. Its shape is a raised decorative cover with three fan-shaped blades on it.

When you see the overall design of the rear of the car, you are instantly transported back to the period of the Republic of China. If the color of this car is black, would you think you have stepped onto a movie set? The most obvious feature of the rear of the car is a raised square “schoolbag”, which perfectly extracts elements from vintage cars. The taillights adopt an elliptical style and are matched with a chrome-plated surrounding decoration at the bottom, making the vintage integrity of the whole car almost saturated.

The thing this car is not short of is details. We can see that the taillight group is not a monotonous large color block. The chrome-plated decorative ring on the edge, the red and black alternating elliptical shape, and the chrome-plated decoration in the center can make people feel the attitude of the car pursues perfection in details.

The appearance is fully established, and the interior must not be left behind.

The interior is the essence of this retro driving experience. It does not follow your understanding of vintage cars to express itself. For example, it does not have a long gear lever, mechanical instrument panel, or annoying handbrake. What we can see is only the collision of retro elements and modern technology, which is a luxurious texture that is different from other modern luxury cars.

The main interior color scheme of the car consists of a combination of brown and beige-white, with three different suede materials used for the dashboard, seats, and roof lining respectively. Both visually and haptically, the retro style has been fully demonstrated.

The new car features a three-spoke multifunction steering wheel with a unique style of beige-white color and an embedded chrome ring, perfectly combining modern and retro elements.

The car uses electronic gear shift design which is not uncommon in other cars, but the beige-white color of the shifter adds a lot of elegance to this vehicle.

The fully digital instrument panel is very delicate, adopting an elliptical design style and forming a three-screen combination with the central control and the co-pilot entertainment screen. Under the co-pilot entertainment screen there is also a strip of ambient lighting, which enhances the luxurious and high-quality feel. The central control panel of the WEY retro chic car best embodies the modern style, while ensuring the practicality of the vehicle as well, declaring the trend of retro style cars.

Below the central control screen are three air conditioning vents, with chrome-plated adjustment knobs embedded in a pink-painted decoration strip for a unique visual effect. Below are 4 aircraft-style toggles and an emergency light button panel, also using a large amount of chrome elements to enhance the exquisite look.

At the center armrest, a wireless charging panel is equipped, surrounded by thick and crystal decorations with chrome trims, highlighting a noble and elegant style. It seems to be tailored specifically for female car owners with classic temperament, making the moment they put their phones on the charging panel full of ceremony.

A hollow storage space is located under the center armrest, which is very suitable for female car owners to store smaller bags. In addition, there is a USB interface and a Type-C interface next to the space, and the layout is also reasonably designed.

The seats are made of off-white suede material, and the backrests are embroidered with lily patterns. Paired with large and comfortable headrests, the classic atmosphere is just right. In addition, the rear seats are also equipped with central headrests to ensure the comfort of every passenger.

Even the adjustment panel of the front seats is decorated with chrome trims, showing that the entire car is meticulously designed, leaving no blind spots for any breakthrough in visual aesthetics.

The WEY retro-style car door panels pay attention to details as well. There is a comfortable suede material next to the window control area, which is embroidered with lily patterns, just like the seats. Although it is a retro-style car, it abandons the traditional way of opening the door and adopts the electric door opening method, which is the same as the Rolls-Royce model. There is only one button, and there are ambient lights around it, further enhancing the luxury of the interior.

Although the WEY retro-style car uses a lot of retro elements, it is also equipped with a two-segment panoramic sunroof. The large brown suede on the roof and the off-white color on the seat parts create a strong visual impact, full of luxury when sitting in it.

Conclusion# WEY Retro-fashionable Car

WEY Retro-fashionable Car perfectly integrates modern technology with retro elements to emit a retro vibe without losing luxurious temperament. The integration of the two elements has not caused any contradiction, and the driving experience is not at all discordant despite the leaps in time.

Some say that after eating exquisite delicacies for a long time, one would want to taste lighter salted vegetables and rice soup. Perhaps the same is true for the auto industry. If a car is designed by piling up modern technology and sci-fi elements endlessly, it will make the viewers feel aesthetically fatigued. At this moment, if there is a fresh and clear flow that refreshes your knowledge about modern cars, it will surely leave a profound impression on you.

Moreover, as stated by the official, WEY Retro-fashionable Car will be mass-produced, and the new car will rely on a mature DHT intelligent hybrid system to be more environmentally friendly than traditional fuel cars. This car model has already obtained the qualifications for mass production in various details. However, the specific parameters are currently unknown. We hope that WEY can bring more surprises to the viewers who are looking forward to this car.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.