Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Lightweight, Europe/EU
Venturi improves the about-to-be-launched Fetish
April 2008 was the month when Venturi intended to launch the Fetish, a carbon-fiber EV sportscar which makes the Tesla look like a bargain. Instead of offering the car this month, Venturi has instead announced that they have managed to improve the Fetish engine - which now gets 300 HP and 380 Nm of torque (280 lb-ft) at 92 percent of efficiency - while reducing by 30kg the global weight of the car, down to 950kg. The batteries will be likely produced by France's Saft and will use lithium-ion technology. The car also features all-around carbon fiber technology.
Le Blog Auto now says that first deliveries are now expected to be held off until June 2009 for an astounding €297,000 (currently $465,000). The car will be assembled in Monaco, although the company is examining a new factory in France. The Fetish races from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.5 seconds, although maximum speed is limited to 160 km/h (100mph).
[Source: Le Blog Auto]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
stevejust 6:58PM (4/24/2008)
I thought the old price of the Fetish was supposed to be $660,000? At least that's what I thought Green Car Journal was reporting about two years ago. Maybe competition from the Tesla drove the price down a bit, and forced them to add some performance for the $300,000 gap in prices? Who knows.
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Tony Belding 11:36PM (4/24/2008)
You mean they still haven't actually delivered any? AFAIK they've been talking about the Fetish since 2002 as if it were already ready. Whenever the question of how many -- if any -- had been sold (or made, or delivered) came up, nobody knew the answer. The assumption usually tended to be, "surely they must have made and sold a few by now. . . it's just that their handful of super-rich customers (probably in Dubai) value their privacy and don't want to talk about it, right? right??" Wrong!
So now we know. First deliveries June 2009, well over a year after the first Tesla Roadsters have been delivered. How did Venturi manage to fritter away seven years since the unveiling of the concept car? I just don't know what's going on over there.
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Chris M 4:03AM (4/25/2008)
The original price quote I read was $300,000 so the price has increased with the performance.
Venturi has been taking their time on this, partially due to the development work needed, and partially because they weren't in a rush. They'd only planned to produce a limited number.
Venturi is also known for making a series of interesting but impractical concept cars that regularly appear in European car shows. Maybe they were too busy with those other concept cars?
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Dan 10:20AM (4/25/2008)
It looks like a smart roadster on 'roids. I think it should be priced as such.
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Kevin Nugent 5:26PM (4/25/2008)
It looks better than the tesla roadster i must give them that but that price will give even the most rich a slight hole in the pocket.
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Ian 4:20AM (4/26/2008)
The was a segment on one of Discover's Futurecar shows, shot in Monaco in 2007, where Rodger Moore test drives a Venturi with his wife and surprises her by saying he bought it for her. If the Fetish isn't even on sale yet, was this a fictional scenario scripted just for the show?
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