GAC Empow saloon transforms into a convertible for the show

GAC has come to a car tuning expo in Shenzhen, China with a unique take on its Trumpchi Empow R sedan (a.k.a. Shadow Leopard). According to CarNewsChina, the company has also made other modifications to the car, but never revealed whether it would go on sale like that.

The Empow convertible has a wheelbase 120 mm (4.7 inches) shorter than stock and only two doors – the rear ones were removed and the front ones lengthened by 100 mm (3.9 inches). The trunk was also redesigned to accommodate the folding top. The windshield ended up with a new bezel, and the interior layout was revised as well.

Aside from this, the car received new 20-inch wheels, different shock absorbers, and a new exhaust system. The powertrain remained as is. The standard Empow sedan (see video) uses a 2.0-liter turbo engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It produces 265 PS (261 hp / 195 kW) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque.

According to CarNewsChina, GAC spent roughly 1,000,000 Yuan (nearly $140,000) on this one-off creation. Given the company’s track record, the odds are good that the convertible will eventually reach the mass market. It did something similar with the Aion Hyper SSR, for example, which also started as a one-off design study.