DeLorean Says It's All-New EV Will Be A Driver's Delight

Mar. 18, 2022 2:59 PM ET byGerhard Horn Electric Vehicles /4 Comments

And it will have gullwing doors.

According to DeLorean's new CEO, Joost de Vries, its new all-electric coupe will be a driver's car and not an homage to the famous movie car fromBack to the Future．

德弗里斯和Motor Authorityrecently and revealed some inside information about bringing the DeLorean name back to life. There were plans to electrify DMC-12 models using the former company's trademarks, parts, and assets, but the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act took too long to come into effect.Classic DeLoreancurrently owns all of the trademarks, surplus parts, and tooling needed to make the DMC-12.

Instead, an entirely new company needed to be registered. It's called the DeLorean Motor Company, which is the exact name John DeLorean used. And it made some big noise when itpreviewed its new car in February．Now, we have more info.

DeLorean Motor Company

DeLorean Motor Company/YouTube

The next big step is finding the money. "You need a billion dollars to build an OEM, and that's the minimum," said de Vries.

DeLorean is currently looking for that money, but Classic DeLorean remains the main shareholder until then.

According to de Vries, the DeLorean Motor Company currently has enough money for where it is in the timeline, although it would need to secure more funds to advance to the next stage.

There are plans to take the company public, but the timeline on that is not set. DeLorean first needs to file the paperwork, and then it's a 16-18 month waiting period. That paperwork has yet to be filed, but with good reason.

DeLorean Motor Company/Facebook

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According to de Vries, it's currently in the company's interest to stay private. It means less scrutiny and fewer people looking over your shoulder as you work. On the flip side, going public brings in a lot of cash.Just ask Rivian．

As we mentioned earlier, DeLorean's first product will be electric and a coupe. The suppliers for the electric motors and batteries have not been confirmed, but de Vries said that it's neither Tesla nor Lucid. So it won't be aModel S Plaidwith a gullwing body on top.

"You could assume that with most EV sports cars, all-wheel drive would be a must as would a flat floor battery," said Chief Marketing Officer Troy Beetz.

So it will essentially be a standard electric skateboard with a DeLorean design on top, and that's the tricky part.

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You see, making a fast EV isn't hard. Due to the nature of the power delivery, even the most humble EV feels brisk.

Getting the design right is more critical because the DMC-12 is so iconic. And DeLorean must be feeling the pressure, as the original car was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, founder ofthe one and only Italdesign．身体是著名的不锈钢的本色,and it had gullwing doors. Naturally, it made sense to team up with Italdesignagain. According to Beetz, the stainless steel won't be carried over, but the gullwing doors will. There will be other nods to the original design, but the main aim is to build a driver's car.

As it currently stands, DeLorean will be showing something at the 70th Pebble Beach Concours, but what that will be is not clear. According toMotor Authority, the CEO is pushing for something close to production-ready, while marketing wants something that will stun the crowd.

We'll have to wait until August for Pebble Beach to find out who won the battle.