There’s a new kid on the luxury electric car block: Aehra, which is aiming to disrupt the sector with its all-new SUV. We talk with the company’s founder and CEO, Hazim Nada.
The Aehra marque (pronounced ‘era’) was only launched earlier this year, so its first vehicle has been turned around impressively quickly. Based in Milan, the firm says its SUV (which won’t be given a specific name) “rewrites the automotive design rulebook” and it takes design inspiration from motorbikes and supercars.
We’re yet to see inside the Aehra SUV, but the new company says it will provide a minimalist design with “sportive elegance”. There will also be sustainable materials used throughout the interior plus a new infotainment system developed specifically for Aehra.
Aehra is looking to produce 20,000 to 25,000 units of each car once production is underway. The sedan is scheduled to be revealed in early 2023 and will sit as a cheaper alternative, although it should provide even greater range due to it sitting lower than the SUV. Customers will be able to purchase them online or through the ‘salons’ from which Aehras will be distributed.
Following on from the saloon model, a 2+2 sports car is even being planned – utilising the shortened version of Aehra’s modular platform.
Q&A with Hazim Nada – CEO/founder Aehra
What are the main challenges you’ve overcome so far and what do you expect to face before production in 2025?
“The first phase was translating an idea into something that was concrete. The second was getting accepted by the various counterparts because obviously, there are many startups that have come across in the EV sector. Now we’re facing the different phase where basically we’ve been accepted by the big engineering firm, we need to manage fundraisings with supply. There’s the other element of building our own team and the engineering side that we’re working on at the moment.”
Why have you chosen to launch with an SUV?
“This shape has a greater impact on the SUV segment. When you look at a typical SUV, you see a much more boxy shape and you see big vehicles that are very far from efficient aerodynamically. It’s easy to build a very aerodynamic sedan, it’s not so easy with an SUV.”
How much of this test car will make production?
“At least 95 per cent. Some small elements are questions of homologation, we will need to test the waters once we’re ready to run crash tests. Especially things like the angles of the rear view cameras. We’ve done a lot of simulations already.”
How will the sedan and SUV line up together, given the SUV is already quite sleek?
“For a pure spacious supercar, you’re probably more into the sedan. If you want a mix of both – you want the supercar but you want more space, you’re probably going to be more in towards the SUV. There will be substantial modularity between them, the sedan will feature similar design and active aero like the SUV.”
Are you still planning on a 2+2 sports car after the sedan?
“The 2+2 concepts that we’ve done so far express a pure supercar exterior with a cabin space larger than a BMW 3 Series. The wheelbase will be shorter than the SUV but it will have a displaced battery, so we don’t intend to change batteries (for the 2+2).”