interesting article on the Aculeus:
Beijing 2010: Get Stung by the CH Auto Aculeus Concept ? Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine
Two doors? Check. Long hood? Check. Supple curves? Check. Big V-8 under the hood? You bet. You can see, then, why the Aculeus caught our eye as we perused the Beijing Auto Show.
All we've been able to determine about the Aculeus so far is what we can infer from the spec sheet. Our Chinese is a bit rusty, but we've been able to glean a few details. The Aculeus was built by CH Auto, an automotive design and development firm in China, so we're fairly certain this is a concept car, not a production piece. CH Auto contracts with several big-name Chinese automakers, including Geely and Chery, so there's potential for a production model through another brand.
Under the hood of the Aculeus is a BMW 4.8-liter V-8 lifted from the X5 SUV and sporting 367 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque. Paired to a six-speed transmission (manual or automatic, we're not sure), it'll hit 168 mph flat-out and 62 mph in 5.2 seconds. Dimensionally, it fits just between a BMW Z4 and a Maserati GranTurismo in size and tips the scales at 3527 pounds.
We use those two vehicles as examples because there's some apparent styling influence here. From the front, the Aculeus shows obvious influence from the Maserati with a hint of Infiniti styling thrown into the mix. The side profile is a bit more BMW roadster with some 6 Series influence in the tail. Overall, it's a clean design that could easily find a place on European and North American roads. and while derivative of others in the segment, it's not a straight copy of any particular car.
Aculeus, in case you were wondering, refers to a stinger, such as the one found at the tip of a scorpion's tail. It's also the name of a part of the constellation Scorpius, which all helps explain the scorpion logos adorning the car.