Tesla’s Throne Threatened?
As far as premium electric vehicles (EVs) are concerned, Tesla is the undisputed king of the hill.
In 2015, Tesla delivered 50,580 EVs to owners, lower than their projected 55,000 units but close enough.
But recently, new players have announced their intention to take the throne – from an established automaker to one so new it doesn’t even have the “new car smell” yet.
According to reports, Mercedes-Benz are slated to introduce four new models from their EV platform. The first to debut in 2018 will be a sedan sized between the C and E-Class; followed by a crossover and a larger sedan and SUV.
And the current buzz, as everyone is awaiting their announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 in Las Vegas very shortly (despite the leaked images) is Faraday Future’s “Tesla Killer”. A brand new startup, Faraday Future is backed by Chinese billionaire Jia Yeuting, the founder of Leshi Internet Information & Technology and boasts a leadership team which consists of mainly ex-Tesla employees. Here’s a glimpse of what they’re about:
How much of a ‘shocker’ Faraday Future’s car will be is yet to be seen but we can expect more automakers to electrify the EV segment, premium or otherwise. Maybe it’s due to Tesla Motors opening up their patents in 2014 “in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology”. Or maybe electric is the future of the automobile. Even Volkswagen is previewing an electric concept car at CES. Watch the teaser below.
