Tesla Model X Plaid rival claims lofty performance statistics at its debut in Las Vegas
US firm Mullen Automotive has revealed a 1000bhp electric super-crossover that’s aiming to crack 200mph.
The California-based EV firm, founded in 2014 by David Michery, took to CES in Las Vegas to show its new flagship model, the Five RS – based on the Five it showed last year.
The RS – no doubt conceived as a rival to the likes of the Tesla Model X Plaid and Lucid Air Dream Edition – claims more than 1000bhp, a 200mph-plus top speed and a 0-60mph time of less than two seconds.
Founder Michery gave few technical details away at the car’s unveiling, but did confirm that the RS features a twin-motor four-wheel-drive powertrain, 800V charging architecture which is said to allow for a 0-80% top-up in just 21 minutes.
Mullen also says the RS is fitted with six- and four-piston Brembo brake callipers clamping carbon-ceramic discs, an ‘Ultra-Performance Race Track’ mode for maximum power and more engaging steering, and an AI-powered voice assistant with facial recognition technology.
It is not clear whether the RS – or indeed the Five on which it is based – is ready to enter production at the firm’s new factory in Robinsonville, Mississippi. The car on show in Las Vegas was clearly a prototype built just for the stage.
It does, however, have a full interior, complete with Alcantara-finished sports seats, carbon-effect trim and bespoke orange ambient lighting.
Michery said in 2022: “From the inception of Mullen, it has been my mission to bring an ultra-high-performance EV to market.
“The Five RS is intended to be one of the fastest vehicles on the planet, competing with some of the best and most well-known and regarded automotive marquees.”
He also pledged to showcase the car’s performance on track last spring, but the car has yet to be seen driving in public.
Mullen holds a controlling stake in electric commercial vehicles firm Bollinger Motors, which revealed a hardcore pick up and SUV duo at Los Angeles in 2019, but has since shifted focus to full-scale HGVs.
The company was supposed to launch a sports car called the Dragonfly K50 – based on Chinese firm Qiantu’s K50 – in 2021, but has yet to deliver any cars to customers.
