ABOUT THE GUNSEL
PROFFESOR Günsel said: “At present the vehicle has a range of 350km, and the battery of the vehicle can be charged at home in seven hours.
“Charging can be done at charging points that will be made available throughout the country.
“Ultra high speed charging can charge 80 per cent of the battery in just 40 minutes at a station, giving you a range of 220km. Alternatively it would take two hours to fully charge at a charging station.
“We want other companies to be involved in providing charging points. . . Manufacturing cars is big prestige for any country. One can manufacture aeroplanes and trains, but to produce a car is a great prestige that effectively puts a country on the map. Why? Because an automobile touches the person’s heart and life.
“This is why our slogan is ‘Drive the Silence’. The car also has no gearbox as there aren’t any gears – just ‘stop’ and ‘go’, like an aircraft.”
Prof Günsel said the design of the car was inspired by the Cyprus mouflon, the island’s rare wild mountain sheep.
“The mouflon has a character that we think of as the same as NEU, in that it is ambitious, wants to be high up and is stubborn.
“The lines on the Günsel’s body are meant to reflect the muscular make-up of the mouflon, to have confidence.
“We used three words to describe the car: elegant, efficient and innovative.”
While the car’s price tag has yet to be decided, Prof Günsel stressed that he wants it to be sold at an “affordable” price.
“[The price] will depend on the cost of manufacturing the vehicle at the date of production and the cost of the battery,” he explained. A new steel construction plant is to be built on the NEU in “months” that will play a role in the production of 20,000 cars per year. The Günsel family has invested “great labour, high belief, determination and desire” to realise their dream, Prof Günsel said. “This is a source of pride for our country, a locally and nationally manufactured Günsel car that will strengthen our sense of national pride and which shows what can be achieved in this country when there is a will,” he said. The car can accelerate from zero to 100kph in eight seconds with a top speed of 170kph.
It runs on a 75kw electric motor, equivalent to about 190 horsepower, with a “regenerative braking system” to help boost the battery’s range. The cost of charging will also be significantly cheaper than conventional fuel, Prof Günsel explained, with plans for Turkey to supply power to North Cyrus via an undersea cable expected to reduce running costs even further. Some charging points are expected to be solar-powered, meaning motorists could use them for free.