Leaf Concept Car at Beijing Auto Show 2010 Takes ‘Green’ Very Literally

The two big storylines emerging from this year’s Beijing Auto Show seem to be 1. the debut of Chinese-made cars competing on a global scale and 2. the power that (mostly foreign) luxury cars will likely hold over the new China.

At any auto show nowadays, green tech is something to keep an eye out for: Chevy’s concept for the electric Volt MPV5 and the Chinese-made BYD e6 have both gotten some attention and reasonably good press in Beijing. But how do you compete with a sci-fi-looking car with a giant, glowing leaf for a roof that touts better-than-zero emissions and can absorb carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into energy?

According to designboom, the concept car, which is being showcased by the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (the number three car manufacturer in China), is specced out with a roof “which is covered in photovoltaic cells that much like a leaf, can be adjusted to maximize the solar  absorbing properties. the car also draws wind energy through four turbines located on each of the car’s wheels. to absorb carbon dioxide the body of the car is made from a metal-organic framework, which
turns carbon dioxide and water into energy and oxygen.”

Does it look a little like a Pokémon? Well: yes.

If this is a concept that SAIC hopes to turn into a reality, the next iteration should probably shift gears from a ‘sci-fi’ aesthetic to a ‘something people would actually drive’ aesthetic. But, it’s eye-catching, at the least, and a neat way of packaging some interesting green technologies.

(via designboom.)