DeLorean to introduce Alpha

DeLorean has released fresh details and images of its Alpha 5 EV, an electric car with wings that company owners hope will resurrect the long-defunct brand and perhaps set the direction for new electric models.

The company – and the EV – won’t make a public appearance until later this summer at Monterey Auto Week. But the brand’s owners, eager to capitalize on interest in electric cars and perhaps push the momentum, have released images and specs that show the Alpha 5 will retain the two-door frame with wings shown in the Back to the Future trilogy, but get a sleeker, sleeker silhouette and room for four passengers.

For now, the company’s intentions to revive the DeLorean brand after a long hiatus and how and where it will finance and build the Alpha 5 are unclear. DeLorean CEO and former Karma Automotive executive Joost de Vries, who joined the company in December, is scheduled to speak Friday at the EV Electrify Expo in Long Beach, Calif. De Vries is expected to share more details about the company’s broader electrification ambitions.

DeLorean said Tuesday that the Alpha 5 sports car will deliver performance typical of electric cars, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in just under three seconds and reaching a top speed of 155 mph. The company estimates that the 100 kWh battery pack will allow the car to travel more than 300 miles on a full charge.

The original DeLorean Motor Company, which created the time-traveling DMC-12 that starred in the 1980s movie “Back to the Future,” was founded in Detroit in 1975 by John DeLorean, the Pontiac designer who created the GTO and Firebird. Seven years later, the company ceased to exist.

The revived DeLorean Motor Company, which designed the Alpha 5, is owned by Texas-based restorer DeLorean, which bought the rights to the brand in 1995, and appears to be focused on electric models.

The electric car was designed by Italdesign, which also helped create the original DMC-12 four decades ago. Judging by the published images, the Alpha 5 has gained a pair of infotainment screens and a trunk, but has lost its flux capacitor.
DeLorean has released fresh details and images of its Alpha 5 EV, an electric car with wings that company owners hope will resurrect the long-defunct brand and perhaps set the direction for new electric models.

The company – and the EV – won’t make a public appearance until later this summer at Monterey Auto Week. But the brand’s owners, eager to capitalize on interest in electric cars and perhaps push the momentum, have released images and specs that show the Alpha 5 will retain the two-door frame with wings shown in the Back to the Future trilogy, but get a sleeker, sleeker silhouette and room for four passengers.

For now, the company’s intentions to revive the DeLorean brand after a long hiatus and how and where it will finance and build the Alpha 5 are unclear. DeLorean CEO and former Karma Automotive executive Joost de Vries, who joined the company in December, is scheduled to speak Friday at the EV Electrify Expo in Long Beach, Calif. De Vries is expected to share more details about the company’s broader electrification ambitions.

DeLorean said Tuesday that the Alpha 5 sports car will deliver performance typical of electric cars, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in just under three seconds and reaching a top speed of 155 mph. The company estimates that the 100 kWh battery pack will allow the car to travel more than 300 miles on a full charge.

The original DeLorean Motor Company, which created the time-traveling DMC-12 that starred in the 1980s movie “Back to the Future,” was founded in Detroit in 1975 by John DeLorean, the Pontiac designer who created the GTO and Firebird. Seven years later, the company ceased to exist.

The revived DeLorean Motor Company, which designed the Alpha 5, is owned by Texas-based restorer DeLorean, which bought the rights to the brand in 1995, and appears to be focused on electric models.

The electric car was designed by Italdesign, which also helped create the original DMC-12 four decades ago. Judging by the published images, the Alpha 5 has gained a pair of infotainment screens and a trunk, but has lost its flux capacitor.