Visitors of the 3rd China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai could hardly ignore the Apollo Intensa Emozione sports car. With its golden color and radical styling inspired by insects in nature, this hypercar is presented as featuring the first all-carbon fiber production chassis of its kind, from the monocoque to subframes and crash structures.
“Key features of the chassis are its modular design, increased safety, increased torsional rigidity, symmetrical design and weight reduction. The Apollo IE also incorporates advanced composite materials and 3D printed parts in its production”, says Apollo Future Mobility Group, the new owner of Apollo Automobil, the company which developed the hypercar in 2017.
“The world’s first all-carbon fibre platform technology for mass production”
This display at the CIIE was the first appearance of any Apollo IE in mainland China. Before that, Apollo Automobil, a company founded in 2004 in Germany by Roland Gumpert, had a turbulent history. A new chapter has begun in March 2020 when Apollo Automobil announced a strategic partnership with the Hong Kong company WE Solutions Limited. WE Solutions acquired a 86% stake in the European hypercar manufacturer’s holding company.
WE Solutions Limited consists of notable investors such as Li Ka-Shing, a Hong Kong business magnate; family of Edmund Ho, ex-Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region; Agile Property Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong mainboard listed land developer; and Shanghai Alliance Investment Limited (SAIL), an investment arm of the Shanghai government. After the acquisition, WE Solutions Limited changed its name to Apollo Future Mobility Group (AFMG).
“The Apollo IE has been very well-received from enthusiasts across the globe and first customer deliveries commenced in late 2019. However, this is just the first chapter of what Apollo has planned for the future. Our focus is to identify and pioneer the ultimate sustainable future of mobility. In our relentless pursuit of excellence we have created the world’s first all-carbon fibre multi integrable & exchangeable platform proprietary technology for mass production. Simply stated, we aim to set a new standard for the automotive / mobility industry. The mainstream automobile chassis, reimagined. Our mission is to create a foundational revolution for the next generation of mobility. To regain focus and create a reduced essence to its purest form”, says Norman Choi, Apollo Chairman.
Statement car
The focus of AFMG will be looking beyond EV and alternative energies, to identify and pioneer the ultimate sustainable future of mobility. The group’s concentration will be tailored around the pillars of artificial intelligence, intelligent infrastructure, applied materials, safety innovation and disrupting the mobility industry from a foundational perspective.
“The Intensa Emozione (IE) is Apollo’s statement car and features the world’s first all carbon-fiber production chassis with innovative safety solutions. The IE showcases Apollo’s platform technology which has been developed to disrupt the mobility industry from a foundational perspective and is completely scalable for mass applications regardless of the powertrain that is utilized. By focusing on the foundation to reduce weight, our implementation of advanced materials in our platform helps achieve the highest level of safety and the ability to create a tighter vehicle packaging which further aids the design capabilities and aerodynamic efficiency”, adds Norman Choi.
Among other new products, AFMG also unveiled at the CIIE its Urban Delivery Vehicle for the first time. The Urban Delivery Vehicle is designed to be a cost and time effective tool to fulfill the last mile in the supply chain. Was also on display at the CIIE the Electric Mobility Scooter, a mobility concept very recently released by GLM, a subsidiary of AFMG. GLM set out to address the social challenge of the freedom of movement facing the ever growing aging population. It wanted to support seniors to continue to stay active, independent and outgoing.