SAIC Unveils A 'Whale' Of A Concept At Auto Shanghai 2021

These days, design trends in the automotive realm are certainly abstract. Take this particular concept crossover, which recently debuted at Auto Shanghai 2021. It boasts narrow LED lights with chunky corner lenses upfront, which we've seen before. And its swoopy overall design matches up with common crossover trends. That grille, however, is ... something.

Say hello to the Jing, which Google tells us is the Chinese translation for whale. It's a product of SAIC Motor and it's destined to join the automaker's Roewe brand. This is actually a near-production concept, showcasing what's to come but the whale connection is certainly no accident. The vertical bars of the grille most decidedly resemble a whale's underside, and in case you're wondering about the traditional Chinese characters on the license plate, it's a stylized version of Jing. At least the automaker totally owns the whale connection, and as such, we suspect the choice of white for this concept was no accident, either.

Styling aside, what's the story for the Jing? According to Leblog Auto, production versions looking very similar to this concept will hit the market later this year. Specifics on powertrain aren't known, though reports say it won't be a purely electric offering. Plug-in hybrid and standard internal-combustion versions will be available, though information on output isn't announced just yet. A related model with a fully electric powertrain will enter the market as well, though it likely won't share the same striking face. Additionally, the Jing should hold the position of flagship in Roewe's lineup.

As this is a near-production version, don't expect the whale-themed nose to change very much when it goes on sale. We don't have information on possible pricing or features, and being a product of SAIC, it will almost certainly remain a product for the Chinese market.