GAC Unveils Starship Body Technology: 38,000 Nm/° Torsional Rigidity, Built for New Energy Off-Roaders

On April 12, GAC Group unveiled its Starship Body Technology at the 2026 GAC Tech Day. The body features an embedded frame rail combined with a multi-loop closed torsion-resistant structure, delivering a torsional rigidity of 38,000 Nm/° and bending rigidity of 42,000 N/mm—nearly four times that of conventional rugged off-road vehicles and 1.5 times the industry average, respectively. Built around a “front-to-rear continuous high-strength embedded frame rail,” the Starship Body integrates a dense protective framework composed of five longitudinal and thirteen transverse high-strength steel members, along with a hidden anti-roll bar integrated into the A-pillar. Critical areas utilize 2,000 MPa-grade hot-stamped steel, while localized sections such as the A-pillar employ 2,200 MPa-grade hot gas-formed tubular beams, achieving a roof crush resistance of 12.2 metric tons—2.7 times the national standard. The body establishes a 720° new energy-specific crash safety matrix, providing full 360° protection both laterally and longitudinally, and includes a dedicated battery protection compartment that ensures zero intrusion into the battery pack during side pole impact scenarios. In terms of NVH performance, the first torsional mode is 44.45 Hz and the first bending mode is 55.69 Hz. Combined with a highly sealed cavity structure and acoustic isolation design, cabin noise remains below 68 decibels at 120 km/h. The body also features dual front and rear towing structures capable of supporting 5-ton towing capacity and comes with factory-installed modular interfaces for optional accessories such as rooftop tents, cargo baskets, bicycle racks, and small trailers. This technology has undergone over 600 simulation iterations, more than 3,000 hours of bench testing, and over one million kilometers of real-world all-terrain road testing across extreme environments including high-altitude plateaus, deserts, mud, and snow.