Chinese Techrules Recruits Italian Giugiaro

Two of the cars that captured a fair amount of interest at last March’s Geneva Auto show were the Techrules AT96 and GT96. These Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle concepts (TREV) are actually quite fascinating and could mark the next step in the alternatively powered hypercar.

The AT96 is the track version of the soon-to-be street-legal GT96. What makes them tick is truly impressive, if not almost fantastical. The specs are as follows: Six electric motors (one per front wheel and two per rear wheel) that combine for a total output of 1030 horsepower and a volcano-erupting 6372 lb.-ft. of torque.

This kind of power equals fast: 0-100 km/h covered in 2.5 seconds, with an electronically governed top speed of 349 km/h (218 mph)!! The kicker is that despite the performance, the car is expected to deliver a range of up to 1990 km! A micro-turbine powers the generator in order to make all of this possible. I said fantastical.

Giorgetto (and Fabrizio) Giugiaro are among the most famous automobile designers in the world. Giorgetto’s story is impressive as he was responsible for the styling of some very famous cars, including the Ferrari 250 Berlinetta Bertone (he worked for Bertone and Ghia in the 60s), as well as other icons such as the BMW M1 and Maserati Bora. He founded Italdesign in 1968 and ran it until 2015 when the Volkswagen group bought him out.

Along with L.M. Gianetti’s facilities, based in Torino, Italy, they will help Techrules get production under way. The first car should be ready in time for next year’s edition of the Geneva show next March. Full production of 25 cars or so a year is expected to begin in two or three years. Some time thereafter, Techrules intends to build higher-volume city cars.