Asahi Kasei and GLM Co., Ltd., an electric vehicle venture company spun out from Kyoto University, have jointly developed an electric concept crossover called AKXY to showcase a wide array of automotive-related materials and technologies from various Asahi Kasei businesses.
The AKXY concept car will be unveiled at Automotive Engineering Exposition, May 24–26, 2017, Yokohama, Japan.
The concept car embodies the many Asahi Kasei products and technologies that contribute to greater safety, comfort, and environmental friendliness in the automotive setting. It includes not only currently available products, but also next-generation components and systems that demonstrate Asahi Kasei’s comprehensive capabilities to automobile manufacturers and their suppliers.
Being drivable, the concept car concretely illustrates how Asahi Kasei’s various products and materials can be adopted in practical application. The concept car is based on the platform of the ZZ, an electric sports car manufactured by GLM.
| Size | Length 4,685 mm, width 1,813 mm, height 1,562 mm |
| Motor output | 225 kW |
| Passenger capacity | 3 passengers |
Asahi Kasei and GLM began discussions and planning for development of the concept car in 2015. The car utilizes the electric vehicle platform of GLM to achieve a drivable design. The concept car further heightens appeal to customers by having a design based on the SUV, which is popular around the world.
AKXY is equipped with a wide variety of Asahi Kasei materials, components, and systems, numbering 27 products in all, most of them available for adoption in mass-produced vehicles, including engineering plastics to replace metal and enable vehicle weight reduction, artificial suede for seats with superior comfort, and an in-car communication system utilizing various speech-processing technology.
The car is additionally equipped with cutting-edge technology that has potential for commercialization in line with automotive industry trends for safe driving and accident prevention, including a contactless vital sign sensing system that is able to detect the pulse of drivers without their being aware of it, and CO2 sensors to monitor the in-car environment.
