The Piech GT is a 600PS EV with timeless style

Firstly, some technical specs, which sound very impressive. Packing a 75kWh cell using the very latest battery tech, and a combined 603PS (443kW) from three electric motors, the GT should reach 62mph in under three seconds and 124mph in under nine. 

When driven more conservatively, it should be capable of 310 miles on a charge and reach 80 per cent capacity in eight minutes when using a CCS2 charging station. What’s more, a special charger developed by TGood should allow that time to drop to five minutes. The Piëch is targeting a weight of under 1,800kg.

The first prototype is now undergoing initial testing, under the experienced stewardship of Klaus Schmidt, chief developer at Piëch Engineering. He brings with him more than 30 years of experience at the helm of none other than BMW M. The second prototype is expected to be running by next March, with further batches to follow before the end of 2022 and in 2023. Testing and development programs are reported to mirror the thorough rigours long-standing German OEMs subject their new models to.

“Piëch is exactly following the tried-and-tested testing cycles of German premium manufacturers here, with trials in heat and dust, in sub-zero temperatures with ice and snow, and on demanding roads and racetracks such as the Nürburgring Nordschleife, to be able to meet our target of starting series production in 2024,” Schmidt says.

What’s not changed much since the reveal of the Mark Zero, is the design. This is a classically elegant sports coupe, marrying traditional style with modern tech.

“We created a sports car with a timeless design, just like we would dream ourselves,” Rea Stark Rajcic, co-founder and CDO of Piëch Automotive said.

“And we spoke at length with car enthusiasts about what is missing on the market. The result was a modern classic that is not bound by any consumer cycles. Drivers of our sports car should enjoy every moment they spend behind the wheel.”

What lies beneath is a thoroughly modern modular platform, with which Piëch intends to expand its offering, with the addition of a sporty SUV and a sports sedan. Such is the flexibility of the platform, it’s claimed adaptations could be made for other alternative fuel solutions beyond BEV including, should it be suitable, hydrogen fuel cells.

It would be easy to be sceptical of such grand plans from such a young marque but Piëch has come this far, convincing investors of the promise of its vision. It also has an ace in the hole in terms of how the GT and presumably future models, will be built. Toni Piëch, CEO and son of the late great Ferdinand Piëch, added “The GT will be produced at the facilities of a renowned automobile manufacturer, and we are already targeting a production volume of 1,200 vehicles in the first year.”

It might sound like a long way away but mid-2024, the projected earliest market launch of the GT, is just under three years away. Would you be more interested in the Piëch than a new Tesla Roadster?