Autoevoluion
Date:10 Sep 2019
By: Mircea Panait

Founded in 1984 through an alliance with Yamaha, the company responsible for the San Yuan received $30 million for its Taoyuan facility in Taiwan about 11 years ago. And even though these people bought a stand at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, the concept in question leaves much to be desired.

First things first, it’s an odd contraption that tries to combine the aesthetics of a coupe with the high ground clearance of a crossover. But as opposed to small utility vehicles such as the Toyota C-HR and Suzuki Jimny, the San Yuan doesn’t have a proper styling direction that would make a designer proud.

Look at the logo, affixed to an Audi-esque front grille complemented by vents next to the LED headlamps and a curious-looking lip spoiler. It’s three rings crossed by a chrome strip, featuring backlighting to bring the point home. The yellow trim makes the badge look like three lemon slices impaled by a cocktail stick, and that’s just the start of everything that’s wrong with the San Yuan.

Now glance at the silver-and-red wheels with too many spokes for anyone’s liking. The center cap – presented as a black star with gold accents – is the definition of chintzy. Most embarrassing for the Taipei-based company is the braking system, which is a non-functional fake whichever way you look at it.    [FULL  STORY]