There are thousands of small car companies spread across the world, among them Artega, which produces just a single model, the Artega GT. At Geneva, they unveiled an electric version of this small sports car, the Artega SE.
The Artega GT features a 300 horsepower Volkswagen V6 engine in a car the weighs just over 2,400 pounds thanks to its aluminum frame and carbon fiber body. It is, in a lot of ways, a German Lotus, and at the Geneva Auto Show Artega unveiled an all-electric version of their superlight sports car.
Packing two electric motors powering the rear wheels, the all-electric Artega SE makes 380 horsepower and about an extra 500 pounds from the lithium-ion battery pack. Even at 3,000 pounds though, the Artega SE is faster than its petrol-powered brother by a full half-second (0-60 of 4.3 seconds, compared to about 5 seconds for the petrol motor.) No mention on the exact size of the battery pack, but Artega claims a driving range of between 200 and 300 km (between 125 and 186 miles) which is pretty comparable to America’s own Tesla Roadster.
However, thanks to the European Value Added Tax and all those electric batteries, the Artega SE has a price of over $208,000, twice that of the Tesla. Even the Europeanized Tesla has a starting price of about $120,000. So we’re talking about a serious chunk of change. If I had the money though, I’d be all over this like white on rice. Just a personal preference, but I like coupes over convertibles. How about you?
Source: Carscoop
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
