Piëch Automotive preps 600bhp retro sports EV
Nascent Swiss manufacturer details GT production version of its 2019 Mark Zero concept, writes
More than two years after showing its Mark Zero concept car at the Geneva motor show, Swiss start-up Piëch Automotive has begun testing its first production car ahead of a market launch in 2024.
The outfit was founded in 2019 by Toni Piëch, a son of the late Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch. It plans to ultimately offer its new electric sports coupé in Europe, China, the US and various other global markets and will eventually follow it up with an SUV and the Sportlimousine saloon based on the same modular architecture.
The Mark Zero concept has become the GT and despite the name change remains largely faithful to the low-slung sports coupé shown in Switzerland, with Piëch promising that its “timeless” design means it “is not bound by any consumer cycles”.
It remains a two-door two-seater with a cab-rearward silhouette and a distinctive Kammtail-style rear end, measuring 4,432-millimetres long by 1,991mm wide and 1,250mm tall – not dissimilar proportions to the Porsche 911.
The EV’s powertrain, however, “has received a significant innovation” over the last two years. With a trio of motors (two on the rear axle and one on the front), the GT packs a combined 600 brake horsepower for a claimed 0-62mph time of 3.0 seconds.
More significantly, however, the GT is promised to have “typical sports car handling”. The batteries are arranged in a T-shape across the rear axle and down the centre of the car for optimum weight distribution and a low seating position and allegedly “precise handling with immediate feedback to the driver”.
Crucial to the GT’s claimed dynamic agility will be a claimed sub-1,800-kilogramme kerb weight, which would represent a saving of some 500kg over the Porsche Taycan. This will be achieved through the use of innovative ‘pouch cell’ technology for the batteries, which weigh less than conventionally constructed units, with the added benefit of improved cooling and quicker charging.
The capacity of the battery, supplied by Chinese company Desten, hasn’t yet been disclosed, but Piëch said it can charge from 0-80% in as little as eight minutes and offers a range of 311 miles.
Early testing is now under way with the first completed prototype under the supervision of chief developer Klaus Schmidt, who previously served as head of BMW’s M division for some 30 years.
A second prototype will be completed by March 2022, followed by a “further series” of test cars by the end of the year and another batch in 2023. Series production will begin in 2024, Piëch claims, in line with “the triedand-tested testing cycles of German premium manufacturers”.
The GT will be produced by an established third-party manufacturer, although it has yet to be confirmed which one. Piëch is aiming to produce 1,200 GTs in the first year.
Eventually, Piëch’s retail network is planned to comprise some 60 “in-house” stores, with various “renowned companies” signed on to
provide aftersales services.
The boss of the brand’s sales, Jochen Rudat, who used to serve in a similar position for Tesla, is promising that “interested buyers will soon be able to reserve their own GT and get a head start even before sales begin”.
The company has also thrown some light on how its efforts are being funded ahead of a second round of fundraising beginning imminently.
Chief financial officer Timo Kauer acknowledged the input of “international thought leaders and advisers such as STJ, in addition to the major bank UBS”, but it’s unclear how much has been invested — and exactly by whom — at this stage.