Caterham is preparing to launch a ground-breaking new electric vehicle - so prepare to get excited for ‘Project V’.
Caterham is, of course, a British firm that specialises in producing lightweight sports cars in the form of the Caterham Seven, of which there are lots of different variations designed for both road and track.
A stripped back, bare bones, roll cage-wearing, fully electric Seven is on the way, having been teased earlier this year.
But this purposeful, refined Project V is a different beast entirely.
All of Caterham’s guiding principles are there - lightness, simplicity and agility. The Project V has a target weight of just 1,190kg thanks to a liberal use of carbon fibre and an aluminium composite chassis.
For comparison purposes, it means the Project V will be lighter than the Fiat 500 Electric.
Yet the Project V has a refined interior, sumptuous bodywork - and even a proper roof! While Caterham dabbled with a two-seat roadster in the 1990s, in the form of the ‘21’, this could be a concerted effort by the manufacturer to go properly mainstream.
Looks-wise, it’s hard to argue that the Project V looks anything less than stunning. There’s a whiff of the Maserati MC20 supercar about it, which is no bad thing.
There are two seats up front, just one in the back, and Caterham reckons the coupe will be just as much fun on the school run as it is on a Sunday morning blast.
The Project V is underpinned by a 55 kWh battery pack that sends 272 PS of power to the rear wheels, giving it a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 4.5 seconds.
Caterham is hoping it’ll be able to travel for up to 249 miles between charges, while it’ll also boast 150kW DC rapid charging skills.
The interior is minimalist but ‘timeless’, says Caterham, with smartphone mirroring and a digital instrument cluster.
Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham Cars Ltd and COO of the newly established Caterham EVo, said: “Project V is not just a concept or design study, we’ve conducted engineering and production feasibility throughout the development process. An electric Caterham of any shape and size has to stay true to what sets us apart from everyone else: being lightweight, simple and offering an unparalleled driving experience; that’s our DNA.”
Caterham hopes Project V will accelerate into the leasing market by the end of 2025 or early 2026 - and it should cost less than £80,000.
That’s considerably cheaper than the £180,000 electric Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, but a touch more expensive than the incoming, all electric £55,000 MG Cyberster.
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