See the full video of the electric utility that looped 360° inside a tunnel

Voyah, Dongfeng’s premium brand, launched the Passion S in China on Saturday (15) and used the event to respond to the mistrust around its main marketing piece: it released an uncut, single-shot version of the video in which the electric utility vehicle loops 360° inside a tunnel. The model comes in three versions, from R$ 177 thousand to R$ 216 thousand (229.900 to 279.900 yuan).

The maneuver had been announced two days earlier, in a closed test tunnel in Wuhan. According to the manufacturer, the video was recorded with a real car, in series configuration, without special effects or preparation for the stunt — which would make the Passion S the first production vehicle in the world to complete the tour.

To travel through the wall and ceiling of the tunnel, the utility had to reach about 130 km/h and enter the curve with 16° steering, using centrifugal force to compensate for gravity. A drop of 3 to 5 km/h below this limit would be enough for the car to lose grip and fall off the roof.

Video of failed attempt reinforced the automaker’s version

The initial repercussion was discredited, with accusations of computer graphics. What weighed in favor of Voyah was a leaked video of a failed attempt: in it, a camouflaged prototype of the Passion S falls from the roof of the tunnel. The material suggests that there were physical tests, with the risk of losing development cars, and shows that the battery did not catch fire on impact.

The challenge is a reference to the commercial that Mercedes-Benz shot 16 years ago, in 2010, with Michael Schumacher and the SLS AMG in a tunnel. That film has never ceased to be contested: there are reports that the maneuver was done by a professional stuntman, and not by the seven-time champion. Voyah argues that its version is more difficult, as it involves a large and heavy SUV, and not a light sports car — and that the car kept the full battery pack and all the driving assistance hardware , without reducing weight.

646 hp and up to 740 km of range

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Voyah classifies the Passion S as FUV, an acronym that the brand uses for its large electric SUVs. It is 5.05 m long and has a wheelbase of 3 m. The all-wheel drive version adds two motors and 475 kW, equivalent to 646 hp, with 78 kgfm of torque and 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds; The rear-wheel drive has a single engine, with 408 hp.

The architecture is 800 V, with 81 kWh or 98 kWh batteries and a range of 630 km to 740 km in the Chinese CLTC cycle. Ten minutes of recharging takes the battery from 20% to 80% and returns up to 474 km. In the July pre-sale, the top version was announced at 309,900 yuan (about R$ 239 thousand) – that is, the final price was below what the brand itself had signaled.