The key was not to try to dig a Suez-type of canal, a great sea-level trench from ocean to ocean, but to create a lock-and-lake canal, where the ships are lifted up by a series of locks to a man-made lake, and then they sail across that lake, and then they are set back down on the other side by another series of locks.
The prototypes we got to try out carried the Level 10 range's chunky, aerated style -- with gaps in the bodywork and beefy catches to lock and release the arms.
Almost all China-branded budget cars include expensive features such as anti-lock braking systems and luxury touches such as leather seats that consumers don't really want at that level anyway.