The brand new Swiss start-up’s retro styled GT coupe is all set to smash records. At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, Anton Piëch revealed himself to the market with his Piëch Automotive Mark Zero concept. He is a son of the deceased Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch. The only thing he would share to the public is that it would be a 2-door coupe, have a long hood and short tail design, weigh 4000 pounds and boast 300 miles on a single charge. But after experiencing delays due to COVID-19, Mark Zero is ready for the prototype testing phase with surprisingly promised specs and a new name.
Details on power and layout
It’s now known as Piëch GT and it’s basic concept is the same as Geneva – 2 seats, 2-door, 3 150-kW electric motors, and batteries arranged in a T-shape in the cockpit and across the rear axle. Two motors reside at the rear and one motor is located at the front axle.
Piëch has attempted to imitate the handling characteristics of a standard sports car by splitting the battery pack in 2 parts. Paired with the layout of electric motors, Piëch claims this arrangement offers a weight balance “that had previously been the exclusive preserve of pure sports cars with internal combustion engines.”
This arrangement also means that the seats can be positioned lower since there is no battery underneath the floor, which proves advantages for the coupe’s center of gravity and design. The combined power output is 603 horses and the weight distribution is similar to a mid-engine sports car at 40% for front and 60% for rear. The vehicle weighs 1,800 kg which is almost the same as an Aston Martin DBS.
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Dimensions and charging
As compared to the Porsche 911, Piëch GT is 6 inches wider, 5.5 inches shorter, and is 2 inches lower. It takes less than 2 seconds to reach 60 mph and under 9 seconds to reach 124 mph. Sourced from Chinese company Desten, the battery pack boasts a 75-kWh capacity which fuels the car for 500 km or 311 miles on a single charge.
The batteries are lightweight due to the pouch technology and offer refined thermal management. It’s chemistry has progressed a lot ever since the debut of the coupe. Using the 350-kW fast charger is claimed to restore 80% of battery life within 8 minutes only. In order to make it even better, the automaker is collaborating with a Chinese company known as TGOOD, to make a proprietary fast charger which can restore 80% of the battery life in 5 minutes.
However, the technical details regarding how this will operate have not been shared. The automaker wishes the coupe to handle like an authentic sports car and, more importantly, be desirable to the potential buyers who usually choose a petrol fueled sports car. The co-founder and Chief Design Officer for Piëch Automotive, Rea Stark Rajcic, said –
“The new Piëch GT should convincingly transport the DNA of a classic sports car into the electric age. We created a sports car with a timeless design, just like we would dream ourselves.
And we spoke at length with car enthusiasts about what is missing on the market. The result was a modern classic that is not bound by any consumer cycles. Drivers of our sports car should enjoy every moment they spend behind the wheel.”
Future for Piëch GT
This will be good news if it comes to pass but the automaker is in no rush to prove it. The company will test a variety of prototypes the same way any luxurious German automaker would. This means that the Piëch GT will experience 2 and a half years of challenging environment prior to hopping on sale in 2024.
When the Piëch GT will finally hit the roads, it will be an instant rival of Audi e-Tron GT, Porsche Taycan, along with the conventional front-engined sports cars like Nissan GT-R and Jaguar F-Type. The development is led by Piëch CTO Klaus Schmidt whose portfolio boasts 30 years at BMW M, a majority of which he was responsible for handling technology and driving dynamics.
The previous Tesla director of Central Europe, Jochen Rudat, is responsible for the automaker’s sales division. Piëch is planning 60 in-house sales outlets, similar to what Tesla has manufactured, and it has already signed foreign forms to offer after-sale service. 1,200 units are planned for the first full year of sale, keeping it modest. Afterwards, Piëch is already making an SUV and a 2+2 to drive on the same platform.
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