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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsDeLorean Unveils New Alpha5 EV Concept
The latest in a wave of new performance EVs, DeLorean looks to capitalize on its reputation of forward thinking and risk taking with the new Alpha5 EV.
The Future is (Close to) Now
Yesterday, the DeLorean Motor Company unveiled their new EV concept dubbed the Alpha5, and with it raised a lot of intriguing questions about this newest entrant into the burgeoning luxury EV space. And while the Alpha5 does share a few design nods with the original DMC-12, like those distinctive gullwing doors, the new DeLorean EV is decidedly not a throwback. Instead, the Apha5 is much more in keeping with the current designs of premium-level EVs like the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S.
Design and Specs
The new DeLorean Alpha5 doesn’t break the mold as the DMC-12 of old did, but it does look the part of a “the future is now” performance EV. Like the DMC-12 of old, the new Alpha5 has gullwing doors, but unlike the DMC-12, the Alpha5 seats four rather than two with those gullwing doors allowing ingress and egress of both front and rear seat passengers at the same time. The Alpha5’s sleek design was furnished by Italdesign, the design company co-founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro the designer of the original DMC-12.
With large wheels and balanced proportions, the Alpha5 is a good-looking, if slightly unremarkable, car. Notable features include wide rear fenders and LED lights along the seams of the gullwing doors. Most intriguing is what’s going on in the rear. With two cutouts, it looks like the Alpha5 will have both a large rear hatch and a smaller trunk opening. Promotional images also show a simple and sleek interior, de rigueur for modern EVs, that includes a large digital dash display and an accompanying center console screen, modest in size by today’s standards.
DeLorean hasn’t released a lot of details on the Alpha5’s specs, but here’s what we have so far. The Alpha5 will be powered by “multiple” electric motors with power from a 100+ kWh battery pack. Range is targeted to a minimum of 300 miles. This “Base Performance Model” will accelerate from zero to 60 in 2.99 seconds and to 88 mph (and your chosen destination in time) in 4.3 seconds. Top speed is set for 155 mph and the Alpha5’s drag co-efficient at .23. That latter number put the Alpha5 in league with the new Mercedes-Benz EQS and the Lucid Air. It also helps explain why the car doesn’t look anything like the wedge-shaped DMC-12, which had notoriously bad aerodynamics.
Which DeLorean Is This?
Notably, the New DeLorean Motor Company is distinct from the Classic DeLorean company that bought the rights to the DMC-12, associated IP, and a warehouse full of original factory parts, and has been hard at work repairing and rebuilding original DMC-12s. We wrote way back in 2020 about the company’s plans to bring a rebooted DeLorean car to market. But despite the NHTSA finalizing rules for low-volume manufacturing, plans for a new version of the DMC-12 have come to naught. The owner of Classic DeLorean, Steve Wynne, does hold an ownership stake in the New DeLorean Motor Company, and it’s clear the two entities have chosen to share the DeLorean naming rights. This arrangement helps explain why the new Alpha5 isn’t a nuevo-DMC-12 but instead a (mostly) clean-sheet design.
Questions, Speculations, and Official Debut Date
This isn’t the only point of intrigue for the new DeLorean, either. The company says the Alpha5 will be just one of a series of new vehicles. Their website lists the Alpha, Alpha2, Alpha3, and AlphaIV as additional models in the works. These will reportedly include an all-electric sedan, a sport coupe powered by a traditional internal combustion V8, and a hydrogen-powered SUV. What exactly the business cases are for some of these, especially the latter, is an open but compelling question.
Equally eyebrow-raising, DeLorean says the first 88 examples of the Alpha5 will be track-only variants and start at around $175,000. Another odd choice, but the DeLorean name has long been associated with the unconventional and it looks like that hasn’t changed in this newest incarnation either. DeLorean plans a full debut for the Alpha5 at Pebble Beach on August 21st and reservations to begin thereafter. Production is slated to begin sometime in 2024.
With bold-yet-cryptic lines of copy on their website like “the future was never promised,” it’s hard to know what we can expect from the New DeLorean Motor Company. Like you, we’re awaiting word on options for a flux capacitor, Mr. Fusion, or hover capability. And even if those aren’t in the offing, the new DeLorean Alpha5 has the hallmarks of a relevant new player in the luxury EV space.
(For more on the DMC-12 and DeLorean history, check out this article on the Back to the Future car.)
$ 175.000 that’s just pocket chainge