First Look! All New DeLorean Alpha 5 EV
The new DeLorean company just released these images of its Alpha 5 EV. This is the same company that sells replacement parts for the original DeLorean DMC-12 you’re familiar with from the Back to the Future movie trilogy. But this is a much more ambitious attempt at continuing the DeLorean name into the future.
What powers the DeLorean Alpha 5?
Like the original, it has the signature gullwing doors and louver vents over the rear window. But now with a lot more scoot than before. It can do 0 to 60 mph in 2.99 seconds. Powering the revived DeLorean will be a 100kWh battery with a top speed of 155 mph. It also boasts a 300-mile range.
Five different trims will be offered, called Alpha, Alpha 2, Alpha 3, Alpha 4, and the one shown here the Alpha 5. That seems fairly easy to follow, right? The 5 is the top power and trim option.
Who designed this new DeLorean?
Does this all-new design honor the original’s Italdesign look? Originally penned by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, it carries that line with DeLorean partnering again with the design house. But now it is owned by the Volkswagen Group.
The flat surface and hard-edge design of the original carried on into the original. In some ways, this was similar to the VW Rabbit, also designed by Italdesign. Now, however, the body surfaces are rounded with the upper separated from the main body. A design element also from the original’s time was integrating the upper into the lower body. But this new version still features an overall wedge shape like the DMC-12.
Will the new DeLorean seat two or four passengers?
But, really, nothing is like the original, including the seating now for four instead of two. Combined with the aerodynamic wheels, closed grille, and rear diffuser, it claims a drag coefficient of only 0.23. Size-wise, the dimensions are very similar to those of the Porsche Taycan.
Inside, the cabin is clean with nothing extraneous interrupting the integrated look. Two large touchscreens are present, with one positioned on the center console, and the other in front of the driver. The sports seats look ready for business.
When will the Alpha 5 be available?
The car will have its debut in August at Pebble Beach. Production will begin in 2024, in Italy. The first 88 will be prototypes, and won’t be street legal. After that, series production will commence.
The company says this is only the first model of several it plans to produce. It is also developing a V8-powered sports coupe, which seems a bit odd as everyone else is on the EV train. After that, according to Autocar, it will produce a sports sedan, and finally a hydrogen-powered SUV. The last two are to give the company more volume, but hydrogen? We’ll see.
Company CEO Joost de Vries told Autocar, “We need an SUV for volume. The business case is an SUV that will be launched very quickly after we launch our halo car, but we need that halo car first.” When asked about the odd mix of a V8, EV, and hydrogen power, de Vries said that ‘there’s no one road to Rome.”