SAIC’s Roewe introduces ‘Pearl’ concept car designed by former Rolls-Royce design chief

Roewe unveiled the futuristic “Pearl” concept car, created by Josef Kabaň, former Head of Design at Rolls-Royce. It is a luxury EV sedan with some resemblance to the Rolls-Royce Ghost and the recently released Jaguar Type 00.

Roewe is a brand under SAIC Motor, usually focused on the entry-level or mid-range segment. Josef Kabaň is a Slovak automotive design veteran who joined SAIC Motor in April 2024, bringing experience from Škoda, BMW, and Volkswagen. He was also responsible for the exterior of the Bugatti Veyron and worked at Audi and Rolls-Royce as Head of Design. He unexpectedly left his position at Rolls-Royce after only six months without further explanation in 2019.

The exterior of the ‘Pearl’ concept features suicide-style, frameless doors, electronic rearview mirrors, and an overall futuristic design. The A-pillar and D-pillar are hidden, and there are numerous gold stripes around the windows. The front face has a thick LED stripe with an illuminated Roewe logo above it. The rear lights correspond with the front face.

Inside the car, we can see four seats with ample space (especially for the rear passengers), an oval steering wheel, a large central control screen, and retractable tables for the rear passengers.

Roewe stated that the style of the ‘Pearl’ concept will become its new design language for its future vehicles. Chinese media joke that customers will soon be able to buy ‘people’s Rolls-Royce’ for about 100,000 yuan (13,700 USD), which is about the average price point for Roewe vehicles.

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Editor’s comment

Roewe was never positioned as a high-end brand, but SAIC’s latest moves show that the company has new plans for it. First of all, the premium ‘Pearl’ concept was not launched under more premium MG or IM brands, but somewhat under the Roewe brand.

But this started much earlier. In 2023, Roewe launched a vehicle that resembled a Nio clone, called the D7 EV, with a range of 610 km. Last year in October, the PHEV version of D7 set a Guinness world record for range. With full fuel and full charge, it achieved a measured distance of 2208 kilometers and an average fuel consumption of 2.49 liters / 100 kilometers. Roewe joined the ranks of BYD, Geely, and Chery, who all now have PHEVs capable of a combined range of over 2000 kilometres.

The D7 is interestingly rebadged as MG for export markets. We will keep an eye on where SAIC will take Roewe.