New “ultra-premium” EV start-up Aehra has promised to “eclipse” other car makers later this year when it launches its first SUV and saloon, both of which will come to the UK.
Priced at €180,000 (£155,430) and €160,000 (£138,160) respectively, the currently unnamed cars will be launched with just one battery option that has a claimed range of 497 miles.
This battery will power three motors, one mounted to the front axle and two fitted to the rear, producing “quite an output”, Hazim Nada, co-founder of the Italian-American firm, told Autocar at the company's launch.
The firm has just revealed the first official preview images of its BMW iX-rivalling SUV, which it says will showcase "a design profoundly different to that of any vehicle currently on the market", ahead of a reveal next month.
It highlights the car's low front end, spacious cabin and aero-optimised silhouette as some of its trademark features - which are the work of a car design 'super-group' comprising ex-Lamborghini design bosses Filippo Perini, Alessandro Salvagnin and Alessandro Serra, as well as Italdesign exterior designer Marco Quamori.
“We aren't aiming for the thousands of horsepowers, but we're still aiming for high-premium performance, which will marry [up with] the vehicle dynamics that we want to give to our customers,” he added, refusing to give an exact power figure.
“So certainly we will have quite the output, but we're not aiming to be in the hypercar segment or the want-to-be-hypercar segment.”
Both cars will get Italian styling cues and have “roomy” interiors, but each will look unique. “They will look like concepts on the road,” Nada added.
Join the debate
Add your comment
The hint for prospects of success lie in the name of the company co-founder: Nada. Putin will not invest.
Is the guy behind this startup related to Dany Bahar?
Between this and Jaguar and others, I'll be spoiled for choice on how to spend over £150,000 EV. Trouble is I have less choice if I want to spend under £25k on an EV.
Just a reality check, £25k is a fortune to many car buyers.
I really do fear for the car industry. The profits may still be there but I'm struggling to see where the volume is going to come from.
I completely agree.
Not sure where they got this 'Fresh take on the EV market" from because everyone is packaging up their EV offerings as 'premium' or 'up-market' these days to justify ludicrously high prices.
With even once budget makes like Hyundai launching £50-60k plus models like the Ioniq 6 (it wasn't that long ago they were flogging huge numbers of sub-£10,000 i10s during the government scrappage scheme) what hope is there for every day people to afford an EV?
The fuel companies must be laughing their heads off because with no chance of most people affording an EV, they can charge what they like for petrol and diesel now, and public transport strikes are helping that happen.
The current situation can make someone very cynical about what is really going on.