Forget gull wings or falcon wings, these are elytra wing doors – and they set the new Aehra SUV apart from anything else. With all four doors aloft, it looks like a flight-of-fantasy concept car, yet this luxurious EV will be available to order soon.
Based in Milan, and boasting several notable ex-employees from Ferrari and Lamborghini on its payroll, Aehra is a completely new ‘ultra-premium’ electric car brand.
It has a ‘manifesto of eco-sustainability’, coupled with a focus on futuristic design. The SUV’s entire body is made from recycled carbon fibre composite (only the crash structures are aluminium), while its low-slung lines are said to deliver class-leading aerodynamics.
Think outside the box
To say the Aehra (pronounced ‘eye-air-ra’) looks more elegant than any of its rivals sounds like damning with faint praise, but its low nose, sweeping roofline and very short overhangs are far removed from the stocky, slab-sided SUV norm.
Standout details include active front and rear spoilers, distinctive LED light strips and elegant rear-view mirror cameras – the latter inspired by the winglets on Moto GP racing bikes.
Chief designer Filippo Perini, who has the Lamborghini Aventador and Huracan on his CV, says: “For the first time in my career, we started with a blank sheet of paper. Our design language is driven by the air. Everything on the car has to be functional, otherwise it’s just decoration.”
Aehra is targeting a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.21. For context, the Mercedes-Benz EQS, currently the world’s most aerodynamic production car, has a Cd of 0.20.
Inner space
As for those doors, they emulate the forewing shells of flying beetles, known as elytra. They open electrically, cutting into the roof to aid access.
Step inside and Aehra claims that ‘four NBA-size players’ can travel in comfort, aided by a lengthy three-metre wheelbase (similar to the stretched ‘Li’ version of a BMW 7 Series) and the packaging freedoms afforded by an EV. The rear seats recline like those aboard a private jet.
We haven’t been granted a glimpse of the interior yet, but expect a large screen and plenty of patented tech. CEO Hazim Nada – a former oil trader turned EV evangelist – says the company is working on “a new type of HMI [human machine interface] system”.
‘A gran turismo experience’
Details about the Aehra’s drivetrain are also limited so far. Nada says it will have “two or three electric motors” and a power output of between 750hp and 815hp. “The barrier of entry to extremely high power has come down,” he says, “but we think 1,000hp+ makes very little sense.”
With a battery size of around 120kWh, the SUV also has a target range of 500 miles – longer than any EV currently on sale. Weight is also said to be “20 percent less than comparable cars”, at less than 2,000kg.
The SUV will employ four-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension to deliver a “gran turismo experience,” says Perini. “It’s a car you’d drive from A to A, just for fun.” Its soundtrack, we’re told, will emphasise the noise of the electric motors and components, rather than creating an artificial sound.
Countdown to 2025
Interestingly, the SUV doesn’t have a model name – it’s simply ‘the Aehra’. That could get confusing when the fully electric Aehra saloon comes along, due to be revealed in February next year.
The two vehicles share 70 percent of their components, and first deliveries for both are expected in 2025. Nada quotes an ambitious target of 15,000-25,000 sales annually for each model.
The SUV will cost upwards of £140,000, putting it up against the Lotus Eletre, Tesla Model X Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX. If it lives up to the promise of its looks, the establishment will have cause to worry.
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