New global ultra-premium electric automotive brand, AEHRA, has unveiled the exterior design of its first model, an all-electric sports utility vehicle (SUV). It is a radically different looking, almost futuristic, SUV and the company says it delivers a revolution in automotive design.
This new electric vehicle (EV) features a lengthy three-metre wheelbase, a radically low front end and exceptionally short front and rear overhangs. This is matched to the striking, narrow elongated headlights that combine with LED lighting strips highlighting the outer edges of the lower air vents.
The Milan-based automaker says that every single element of this SUV personifies the company’s unwavering determination to defy modern, mass-market automotive convention while holding steadfast to the pure values of classic Italian design.
It features unique glassware, which appears to flow as a single piece from the front of the car and over the roof, before sweeping down to the rear of the tailgate in an almost liquid-like fashion.
This is paired with the neat-looking elytra-like doors that open skywards and provide ease of entrance and egress to the exceptionally spacious four-person cabin.
Filippo Perini, AEHRA Chief Design Officer, said: “With the AEHRA SUV, we have shunned the conservative constraints that have encumbered all other car manufacturers in their approach to designing EV vehicles to date. Instead, we have taken a highly courageous approach.
“At AEHRA, this mindset drives not just the design of our vehicles, but every aspect, including engineering, the layout of the interior, the state-of-the-art sustainable materials we use and how we are redefining the entire customer journey.
“With the SUV, we have created a vehicle that goes far beyond the conventional standards set by the automotive industry for an SUV and sets new benchmarks for style and comfort.
“We have used a monobody construction, which, while used widely in Italy in the past, is now normally reserved for supercars only. We have taken an equally radical approach to aerodynamics, which play a central role in the design, driving characteristics and efficiency of the SUV.”
Using cutting-edge computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which have an accuracy equal to and, in some respects, greater than those achieved in wind tunnels, Perini and his team have generated a groundbreaking flowing body, which generates exceptional aerodynamic efficiency.
The knowledge gained during this approach has been applied to the design of the front and rear of the SUV to set optimum standards for aerodynamic drag reduction, cooling and battery thermal management.
AEHRA has adopted innovative aerodynamic management, with movable elements at the front and rear. These offer the thrill and promise of a sporty ride and at the same time improve active safety. They also optimise the drag coefficient and thermal management of the batteries while increasing the range of the car.
The shape certainly looks aerodynamic but no figures have been released at this early stage. Similarly, no target range, size of the battery or power delivery have been mentioned as yet.
AEHRA has utilised the full potential of ultra-advanced, exceptionally light, highly sustainable composite materials. This includes forged carbon fibre technologies which have only come to the market in the last few years. These further enhance the overall efficiency of the vehicle.
Hazim Nada, AEHRA founder and CEO, said: “The AEHRA SUV represents a radical combination of cutting-edge sustainable materials, ultra-advanced EV technology, smart manufacturing technologies, pure Italian design, and of course, a seminal moment in our company’s history.
“Supremely comfortable, beautifully balanced, and graceful, the SUV ushers in a new era of EV style and sophistication, and signifies the next successful milestone on AEHRA’s strategic journey to a rollout of both our sophisticated vehicles to global markets in 2025.”
A second AEHRA model, a saloon, will be unveiled in February 2023, with the first customer deliveries of both models expected in 2025.
