LUXGEN – a new automotive brand from Taiwan

By Karl Peskett | March 08th, 2010

Chances are, you’ve never heard of LUXGEN. But this Taiwanese company is embarking on a worldwide campaign to put its country firmly on the automotive map.

Of course, many vehicles are already manufactured in Taiwan but LUXGEN aims to be the premier luxury brand from the region, with its intentions made perfectly clear with a press release stating “LUXGEN ANNOUNCES ITS AMBITION TO THE WORLD”.

The name comes from a combination of “luxury” and “genius”, with the company boasting its car-building credentials by virtue of its being part of the Yulon Group. Yulon has been a key manufacturer for companies such as Nissan, Mitsubishi, GM, Chrysler, Mercedes Benz and others, and with Yulon’s automotive division beginning in 1953, LUXGEN has a fair bit of experience behind it.

Spearheading the campaign is the release of the LUXGEN7, a six seat MPV. With a turbocharged 2.2-litre petrol engine, the basis is there for a decent powerplant. The figures, though, a different story. With only 130kW and 275Nm, mated to a Aisin five-speed automatic, the drivetrain is a bit of a let-down, however the interior detailing seems to be a little better.

Wraparound headrests, movable leather seats, decent storage, air-con for all three rows, plenty of AV inputs, two 10-inch screens – it’s not bad, depending on how it’s priced. And at this stage we have no idea what LUXGEN will be asking, dollars-wise.

What we do know is the chassis is engineered by Prodrive in association with Austrian company Magna, with Delphi taking care of the ABS system, and that it will be front-wheel-drive only.

LUXGEN’s PR spin goes as far as telling us that its vehicles will “think ahead”. An onboard computer called ‘Think+’ is built by HTC using Windows CE as a platform. It covers six main features, including video and audio entertainment, telecommunication, GPS navigation, safety alerts, car-owner exclusive applications and system settings.

LUXGEN’s cars also have – and I quote – Eagle View+ (a 360 degree surveillance camera), Night Vision+ (a highly sensitive night visual aid system), Side View+ and LDWS+ (Lane Departure Warning System).

Mr. Peter Chou, Chief Executive Officer of HTC said: “HTC is proud to partner with LUXGEN to create a new generation of intelligent vehicles. We have worked with LUXGEN to develop a sophisticated onboard program designed to ‘think ahead’ for drivers, creating a new level of road safety.”

No word as yet on whether it will make it to Australia, but based on the above information, how keen would you be to be behind the wheel of a LUXGEN?

Carl

I don’t know????………how many more cheap n nasty, fugly and under powered cars do we need in OZ? If a car manufacturer doesn’t realise that a people mover needs at least 400 nm of torque (and that means a decent diesel) to move those sort of loads then they don’t deserve to be in business!! Australia has enough underpowered cheap vehicles and IMO it doesn’t need anymore.

Stumpy

So by your logic there is only one people mover out there that is worth buying because the VW Caravelle seems to be the only with 400nm of torque.

The the power and torque figures on this thing are right in the middle of most of the vehicles it would be competing with and better then most.

Don’t like the car fine but it’s gutless pig on paper you are suggesting.

And lets face it most people movers look like they’ve been dancing with the ugly stick.
gt6

Toyota Tarago, Mitsubishi Grandis, Honda Oddessy all around 217 – 221Nm Torque are the presumable competitors for this vehicle.
Looks aside, should fit the market well for comparable performance.
Who?

I don’t know about the cheap and nasty bit, saw this on the roads while on holiday there recently, doesn’t look too bad in the flesh. Experience manufacturing for other brands in the past certainly helps in the build quality department. And let’s be honest, this thing looks better than a Kia Carnival.

Baddass

For a fledgeling carmaker, it sure makes a better effort than Great Wall! This car is actually decently styled, with a nice interior too. But the engine is a little bit of a letdown I agree. The power figures are fine but it’s the torque that worries me. Then again, the previous (Previa!) Tarago that my parents own has only 220NM, but it goes fairly well for it’s size. We’ll have to wait and see.

Strange name too, and why is their title and statment all in capitals?!
http://Audi Robj

Show us some decent product, national coverage and service and we’ll see.
Frenchie

Can you make the middle front seat into a benchseat?
vti07

Side profile sort of looks like a Tarago. Needs a better brand name. Sounds like a el cheapo brand of light bulb.
cg

looks like a previous odyssey dash
Golfschwein

Shouldn’t it be called the Com Gen?

Kieran

Nice try, Golfschwein.
Unfortuantely, Taiwan is a democracy…

Golfschwein

I know. I was referring to the image of the car, which is clearly a ‘com gen’, or computer-generated image. Sorry for being obscure.

JT

They also have an SUV due soon, much better looking than the MPV.

Not a fan of the brand name and the logo.
Valet Dabess

yeah it’s pretty ugly, and no i wouldn’t be keen to get into it
toxic_horse

That grill is shocking !!!
Paul D

So 400 nm or its not worth looking at, what it should read is, it needs at least to be near 400nm or forget it.

The Imax has 392 nm and it hauls like a trooper and going on past experiences with VW, the iMax should run past 300000 without a hitch where the VW will most definately need a new turbo.

I have both on fleet and a Merc Sprinter and the iMax and Merc drive similarly, no surprise considering their genes, the VW is a bit noisier and the air con is weaker.

People movers with modest performance are modest to say the least.
http://www.clockwheelblog.com/ xmizanx

just in one year …soon it will become the newest Asian carmaker to break into global markets. It is include around the world and more specifically in the Middle East, Central America, Russia, China, China and South East Asia. It’s new but its act like as a king of a tiger.
KEVINCHUNG

Luxgen7 C-Segment will be show before year 2011, it’s 1.8t GDI engine…
Will

I think Luxgen is sort of a copy of “Lexus”.
JooberGTi

Well its Taiwanese, I put it ahead of any Chinese or Indian car in my opinion. Personal experiences, Most brand name computer part manufacturers come from this country are of good notch, so as a bit of generalisation I would actually consider the due care and build of this car to be as respectable.
carl

yep, I trust Taiwanese products more than the Chinese made one. This car at least looks closer to Japanese/Korean styling and finishing.
Jackie

This is a true Made in Taiwan vehicle. No doubt in terms of quality and design I trust and believe this is far more better than any Mainland China Made vehicle.

People, let’s hope this will soon be available in Australia!
Roman

Got a close-up view of the Luxgen SUV in Taiwan. It really does look impressive (biggest SUV in its class) and I must admit, quite sexy from side and back angles. It has a lot of advance onboard technology. Eagle Eye views were amazing. Cameras and LEDs everywhere. It sits really high. Luxurious and spacious interior. Materials do not look cheap. Great amenities. Reasonably priced. However, at 185 cm tall, I was somewhat put off by the slope of the roof as I entered to get into the driver’s seat. Nearly bumped my head. Salesperson told me that their SUV is more sportier than others, hence the sudden droop to improve wind resistance and drag. With only a 2.2 litre engine for such a big car, I asked why and the reply was that although it is big, it uses a lot of light materials and composites, drastically bringing down the weight. Nose looks like a Porsche Cayenne SUV, only more plump. Yeah, I agree … the Logo is lame (it’s an “L” supposedly written with a traditional Chinese calligraphy paintbrush. Yeah, having “LUXGEN” in big caps is rather brash. Much of the English material they have put up on the Web was obviously written by a non-native English speaker. If they want to globalize, they should pay more attention to how write their specs and advertise. But, I try to put things in perspective. It’s a new brand and they’re giving it their best shot and I would still buy Taiwanese over any Chinese product; hands down. It looks simply big and gorgeous. My hat off to their design and styling team. If I’m not mistaken, brands like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mistubishi, Subaru, Hyundai, and Kia, among others, were laughed at in the beginning because of their strange logos, slogans, and designs, but now they are a household name in many countries, even those in the West.