The Chinese company IAT Automobile Technology introduced the Karlmann King SUV back in 2016 at the Beijing Auto Show, but the world press paid attention to this monster only now.
The model is distinguished by an extremely unusual "faceted" body design, evoking associations with the American F-117A military aircraft. But despite the external aggressiveness, the chassis of the Karlmann King is quite civilian – from the previous generation Ford F-450 Super Duty pickup truck.
The length of the all-terrain vehicle exceeds 6 meters, and the height and width are more than 2 meters. The body is mostly made of steel. The mass, depending on the degree of booking, varies between 4,5–6,5 tons.
The luxury SUV is equipped with all-wheel drive, air suspension, a V10 6.8 Triton petrol engine (362 hp, 620 N•m) and a six-speed automatic. Faster than 140 km/h Karlmann King is not able to accelerate.
The interior of the SUV was also created on the basis of a “cargo donor”: IAT specialists installed a bar with a refrigerator and a cabinet for dishes with gilded cups in the cabin, replaced the standard upholstery with a mixture of leather and Alcantara with wood inserts, and instead of the traditional rear sofa mounted two separate chairs. The final touches are neon lighting, gold-tone inserts and ceiling trim that mimics the starry sky.
The car is also equipped with satellite TV, a 20-speaker audio system, a coffee machine and even a PlayStation 4 game console.
The cost of Karlmann King is $1,85 million. The car was developed by a team of over 1800 people. Each Karlmann is unique in the world. It takes 30,000 hours to build one such SUV. According to the Chinese, a total of 10 such machines will be produced.