Voyah duplicated Mercedes’ inverted tunnel advertisement and subsequently released the vehicle for $33,800.

      Dongfeng's Voyah unveiled the Passion S electric SUV on Friday, promoting it with a stunt that featured the vehicle driving a complete loop around the ceiling of a tunnel in Wuhan. The starting price is 229,900 yuan, approximately $33,800, for a model equipped with 800V charging and the latest driver assistance technology from Huawei.

      Voyah's premium brand, Voyah, made waves on Friday with the debut of its electric SUV, partly due to the car's upside-down driving. Video footage captured the Passion S successfully completing a full loop around the inside of a closed test tunnel in Wuhan, a recreation of a 2010 Mercedes SLS AMG advertisement.

      The physics involved were precise. The vehicle approached the ramp at around 130 km/h with a 16-degree steering angle, and according to Voyah, going just a few kilometers per hour slower would have resulted in failure.

      The company maintains that the stunt was genuine, utilizing a standard production vehicle without any special effects, and has shared unedited footage. A leaked video of an earlier attempt, where the car falls from the ceiling, ironically provides strong evidence that no CGI was used.

      Beneath the spectacle, the Passion S itself is noteworthy. It debuted in three trims priced between 229,900 and 279,900 yuan, roughly $33,800 to $41,200.

      At this price point, buyers receive an 800V platform featuring either an 81 or 98 kWh battery, with a CLTC range of 630 to 740 km, and a 5C charging capability that allows the battery to go from 20% to 80% in ten minutes.

      The dual-motor variant delivers 637 hp and 765 Nm of torque. Voyah claims a 0 to 62 mph acceleration time of 4.5 seconds and asserts a drivetrain efficiency of 93.8% from its silicon carbide technology.

      Driver assistance systems are powered by Huawei. The Passion S is equipped with Qiankun ADS 5.0, which includes a dual-path 896-line lidar and five 4D millimetre-wave radars, enabling assisted driving in urban and highway settings, as well as automated parking.

      This information is all the more significant as Voyah is expanding its presence. Stellantis announced a European joint venture in May to sell the brand's vehicles, and Voyah is already available in the Netherlands and Norway.

      The foundation has been laid. Chinese brands have captured a record share of Europe’s electrified vehicle market, entering from a domestic market where intense price competition has led to improved specifications and decreased prices simultaneously.

      This context also explains the stunt. With new models being introduced weekly, executing a car loop around a tunnel ceiling serves as a sensible marketing investment.