Italian EV Startup To Beat U.S., China With Design

Elon Musk may have paved the way for electric vehicles (EVs) years ago but what he has missed in the EV formula is a fresh design concept that a Milan-based startup, AEHRA, wants to bring to a creatively boring market, Colleen Barry reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: AEHRA doesn’t plan to launch its first vehicles — an SUV and a sedan — until mid-2025.

“Electric vehicles are looked at as being boring by the general public,” AEHRA CEO Hazim Nada said. “It is very easy to build an extremely powerful electric vehicle. It is not so easy to build an electric vehicle that has character. And I think that’s one of the elements that Italian-ness has to express.”

Nada has hired a former Lamborghini designer to help infuse his vehicles with Italian emotion and is emphasizing aerodynamics over performance.

But the company wants to enter an increasingly crowded market of EV startups and traditional carmakers that are being pushed to tackle car emissions that contribute to climate change. Some startups have had little success.

AEHRA doesn’t plan to launch its first vehicles — an SUV and a sedan — until mid-2025, with annual production starting at 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles. The ultra-premium cars also plan to come with a price tag to match — $160,000 to $180,000.

They are expected to roll out first in the United States and key European markets before expanding to China. That would follow an initial production investment of 700 million euros.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic