DeLorean Motor Company’s new EV. — Picture courtesy of DeLorean via SoyaCincau
KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — Back in February of this year, DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) put out a teaser video highlighting the silhouette of its electric vehicle (EV) followed by the caption “The Future was never promised.” Fast forward to the present and we now have a glimpse of the rear three-quarter shot of the left shoulder and taillight of the EV courtesy of DMC themselves. Moreover, the company said that the EV will be showcased on the 18th of August at the prestigious Awards Ramp at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, USA.
Let’s clear things up a bit. The next generation of DeLorean is coming into focus August 18, 2022. For more information read the press release here: https://t.co/Q4Rax2aBC1 #DeLorean #DeloreanEVolved #firstlook pic.twitter.com/H0t0i4ODqv
— DeLorean Motor Company (@deloreanmotorco) April 4, 2022
Now, DMC only refers to the EV as a concept and prototype in its press release, so the car that will be unveiled at Pebble Beach might not even make it to production. Andrew Hawkins from The Verge said, “There’s no indication that the current DeLorean company has the money or manufacturing capacity to start churning out electric versions of John Z. DeLorean’s classic coupes.” If that’s the case, we might not see a production version anytime soon.
DeLorean DMC -12 — Picture courtesy of DeLorean via SoyaCincau
That said, we will at the very least find out what the car will be called. This means that the “Evolve” word in the previous teaser was not the name of the EV as predicted. Based on the picture provided by DMC, it looks like the EV will take a drastically different approach in terms of design compared to the original DeLorean DMC-12. Where the original was boxy and angular, the new EV looks curvy and sleek.
Left – DeLorean DMC-12; Right – Upcoming DeLorean EV — Picture courtesy of DeLorean via SoyaCincau
However, I feel this design decision could remove some feeling of nostalgia from the car. I much prefer what Lamborghini did to revive its iconic Countach model. The new Countach LPI 800-4 harkens back to the original with a boxy and industrial look while adding some modern styling touches with subtle curves and lines.
The new Countach LPI 800-4 harkens back to the original with a boxy and industrial look while adding some modern styling touches with subtle curves and lines. — Picture courtesy of Lamborghini via SoyaCincau
To be fair, it’s too early to judge the EV from DMC based on a single shot of its rear three-quarter, but DMC has said that there will be a series of activations and events showcasing the vehicle, so we will get a better picture of the EV then. Moreover, the car will be designed by Italdesign, the company responsible for designing the now-iconic DMC-12.
For those who can’t make it to the premier, the EV will be on display on the Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach on 21st August 2022.
Nothing much is known about the car other than that it will have an electric power train, iconic gullwing doors and will focus on being a luxury brand. It is rumoured that the electrical platform will be outsourced to British technology and engineering company, Williams Advanced Engineering. The company is already working with Italdesign on an open-source EV platform that will cater to low-volume production EVs, like the new DeLorean EV.
Will the new DeLoreon use a stainless-steel body just like the DMC-12? — Picture courtesy of DeLorean via SoyaCincau
My biggest question is if it will use a stainless-steel body just like the DMC-12, which admittedly was one of its biggest appeals and drawback. The heavy stainless-steel body made the car embarrassingly underpowered, but electric vehicles are known to produce a lot of torque so there shouldn’t be any issues.
What could be a challenge is working with stainless steel itself as even a company as advanced as Tesla is finding it difficult to manufacture the stainless-steel body of the Cybertruck, causing delays in the production line.
Nevertheless, I am excited to see the concept vehicle and gaze upon what a production-ready version could be. If you would like SoyaCincau to bring you firsthand coverage of the vehicle, sound off in the comments. Your enthusiasm just might motivate us to get on a flight to California later this year. — SoyaCincau
Keyword: DeLorean leaves the boxy shape in the past in favour of a curvy design for the future