Darnit its gorgeous
(But it got no heart 
)
Discuss…
Very nice.
So far its just a paper exercise around a fiberglass mockup. The prototype moves, but not very fast.
The target weight, performance and £80,000, are all based on an assumption about electric motor, battery technical development over the next few years. This won’t be by Caterham. Caterham have also launched what is basically a technology demonstrator; the EV Seven. They say this conventional looking Seven will never make it into production. Its a test bed for their collaboration with Swindon Powertrain;
So, for the Project V, the assumption is that it is dependant on developments by Swindon Powertain.
But we have been here before. The Caterham C120 concept
This was a bit more grown up. It used a platform jointly developmed with Renault. Renault’s effort became the A110. Caterham pulled out of the project because it seems to have run out of money, thanks to an expensive foray into Formula One.
Caterham has a poor record whenever its tried to make its own design of car; Caterham 21?
Since 2021, Caterham has been sold by essentially a Japanese car dealership:
Pretake over, Caterham had a turnover of £17m a year. Surprisingly., its biggest market is not the UK, as that sits behind France, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium
Supposedly VT has sunk in £100m into Caterham:
I’m not sure if all that money really is for Project V development or if it includes the new Dartford manufacturing facility, which will suck up cash. They need to make a lot more cars than now; a facility for 750 cars a year suggests potential revenue of £60 million.
I’ve see plenty of pretty concepts, and this is a pretty concept. Its not entirely original in appearance. It doesn’t actually do all the numbers touted; this is all maybe. We don’t know who the powertrain partner will be. It might be Swindon. who seem to be known for crate conversions for existing ICE cars
Personally, I don’t think it will get made. Its too much of a leap for Caterham. Its all very well to hire a Frenchman to slap together a pretty looking, and very French looking, concept car. Though some think the front is similar to a Jag concept
Or even a Maserati
I don’t think Caterham are a big enough company to be launching a new EV based on an untested/bespoke powertrain. They’re better off building cars based on an existing car designed by someone else. Oh, what they have been doing for 50+ years. 50 years building a 65 year old design with tweaks. Are they really an innovative company? From what I read, they’ve had to pinch some panel parts from the Audi TT to keep costs down.
The differences where the caliper sits on the Goodwood concept compared to the CAD model indicates that the car you see is no more than a mockup.
Caterham currently sells cars that are used as weekend toys, for about twice the price of a budget familar car. The target price for this car is £80k in 2024 money; probably more than £100k in 2026 money. Will it really sell, with an interior stuffed with bits from a kitcar catalogue?
They’re better off building an electric Seven, where the range doesn’t have to be that much, selling that for a few years, and seeing where the EV sticks fall, and latching onto that, rather than trying to be an innovator, which they’ve never really done before. Otherwise, I think it will end in tears, like so many other British boutique car makers who attempted to get with the big boys.
in terms of looks they have got me and for them its either brake or make it big but if you take past experience yea I kinda think similar to you its not particularly rosy.
especially at 80k you can buy a Lotus Emira that actually exists and goes rather well…
" I think it will end in tears, like so many other British boutique car makers who attempted to get with the big boys."
What really broke Lotus was the M200 Elan. They invested huge amounts for a new way of making a chassis (extruded aluminium), for nothing. Ever since, despite the Elise, they lurched from crisis to crisis.
Lotus’ annual production is about the same as Caterham. Caterham have ambitions to increase it to a whopping 750 a year.
That’s numbers in Morgan territory. Aluminium chassis and BMW engine is their chosen direction of travel (?)
No one fancy a Morgan then?
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