|
The
"FF 91", described by its designer Richard Kim as
"weird-pretty", is a luxury electric SUV Faraday executives say
will be the most technologically advanced on the market when it
goes into production in early 2018. Advance reservations for the
car - which insiders say will retail for about $180,000 - are
being taken for $5,000.
"You're about to witness day one of a new era of mobility," said
Nick Sampson, senior vice president of engineering and research
and development. "We're going to show the first of a new
species."
But cash shortages and a recent spate of executive departures
have raised questions about the company's prospects.
Faraday is funded and controlled by Chinese billionaire Jia
Yueting, the chief executive officer of China's Leshi Holdings
Co Ltd, also known as LeEco <300104.SZ>, which is showing its
own prototype electric car, the LeSee Pro, at CES. He is also an
investor in California-based Lucid Motors, a competing electric
vehicle start-up attending CES this year.
Faraday debuted at CES last year with a concept car not intended
to be produced, raising eyebrows over the company's legitimacy
and Jia's overall strategy. A cash crunch at LeEco and Faraday's
missed payments to a contractor working on its $1 billion Nevada
factory have spurred more questions in recent months over
Faraday's financial situation.
In late December, LeEco said it was in talks to secure 10
billion yuan ($1.4 billion) from an unidentified strategic
investor.
Faraday executives would not comment on the company's
financials.
"We're hoping to … convince people that we're real, we are doing
a real product, it's not just a vaporware Batmobile to create
attention, but we now have a serious product," Sampson told
reporters during a tour of Faraday's headquarters in Gardena,
California, in December.
Executives say the car's modular architecture and flexible
battery layout will allow for a faster rollout of future models.
The car will have a range of about 378 miles (608 km) per
charge. Its electric motors will generate a combined 1,050
horsepower.
The FF 91, a long, low, futuristic SUV with a roomy interior has
no handles, as doors will open as a driver approaches. Holograms
will be projected on the windshield to alert drivers of needed
information.
The car will come equipped with a package of sensors, including
cameras, radar and lidar, to enable self-driving capability at a
future date.
Near the end of the launch, Jia - wearing a black LeEco hoodie -
drove the car onstage. He got out of the car and was asked to
push a button to make it drive itself to center stage. The car
did not move at first.
It made it on a second try.
(Reporting by Alexandria Sage and Paul Lienert in Las Vegas;
Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
