Renault-funded Singaporean brainchild luxury EV: Meet the BeyonCa GT Opus 1

Unlike other Chinese EV-centric automakers which are very keen to capture the mass market, newcomer BeyonCa is aiming higher, seeking to carve out a niche for itself competing with luxury marques such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz or....Tesla.

The Beijing-based startup (founded in 2021) only recently got underway but has been bolstered with a new round of capital funding from even the likes of Renault. To entice additional investors and the public, their planned debut vehicle, they've revealed the GT Opus 1  - at least in digital form.

Aside from looking pretty and futuristic, combining an aesthetic that reminds us of the Fisker Karma, a bird, and a giant human forehead, the car promises a 'super premium EV' experience exceeds the offerings of today's automotive industry.

The brand itself, and indeed the GT Opus 1, is the brainchild of Soh Weiming, a Singaporean veteran in the automotive industry with prior leadership roles in in Volkswagen China. 

He characterises the brand's direction as "an alternative to BBA [BMW, Benz, Audi], focusing on smart premium design and on user services like health." That's right. In addition to getting you from A to B in style and electric efficiency, the GT Opus 1 incorporates artificial intelligence to bring its owners unique healthcare solutions. 

Health condition monitoring will be a central feature. The car will also be able to slow down and come to a safe stop in the emergency lane when the driver encounters symptoms of cardiovascular disease, stroke, or driver fatigue. Following this a BeyonCa healthcare services team will dispatch a medical doctor onto the scene. 

It's the car perfect for those prone to heart attacks and/or frequent medical emergencies. Is that you? 
No, we don't really have further insights into what this could mean either. That said, we should likely be furnished with more information once the car edges closer to completion. BeyonCa is aiming for a 2024 production timeline with 3 to 5 new models to be ready for purchase within the next 5 years. 

"My philosophy and understanding has always been this: if you do not go beyond the car in a specific way, it will not be a complete story," he said. "[Our] electric car is not just an electric car."

Of course, these cars will hit the market in China first before venturing into other territories, but this all depends on how viable a health-centric EV proves to be in the real world, even in the competitive tech-driven vehicle space. 

Christian Klingler, Co-Founder of BeyonCa, is also expectedly enthusiasti, saying: "BeyonCa has a very clear idea, to define what it means to be a smart, super-premium car brand. We will enhance the characteristics of what makes something premium, including world-class quality,"

"This quality is incredibly important to me throughout my career, and is both seen and felt, like when you first pick up a luxury bag or luggage. It can be achieved only by obsessing over every millimeter of what you are making. This philosophy permeates through BeyonCa, and it is combined with unbeatable world-class design."