“If Lotus makes electric SUVs and sedans, then Caterham can make electric cars now, right? ». Purists will not take this news in the best way, but surely take comfort in that fact Caterham has no intention of stopping marketing its seven.

On the other hand, the Seven will soon be entitled to a little friend in the range, and one that will have absolutely nothing to do with it, according to Caterham’s new design boss, Anthony Giannarelli, a name that should certainly tell you something, as it’s one from the parents of the famous Jannarelly Design-1, a neo-retro sports car equipped with a Nissan V6.

Preserved philosophy

In an interview with Autocar, Anthony Giannarelli sought reassurance about Caterham’s electric future, especially regarding the philosophy of the brand : “The principle will always be lightness. What everyone loves about the Seven is that it’s a simple, working car, and although we’re building an electric car, we’ll try to apply the same philosophy. It’s very simple. There will be no fancy features. Driving pleasure will remain the main thing. »

“We try to make it as easy as possible. So the performance that we’re going to get from that is going to be just amazing. And the consequence of this lightness will be the pleasure of driving. The key words are always simplicity, lightness and driving pleasure”says Anthony Gianarelli.

Interestingly, this new car will also the first ‘real’ Caterhamin the sense that the Seven is a car that was essentially developed by Lotus.

A less radical car?

But what will this new electric Caterham be like? The CEO of the brand, Bob Leishley, gave some tips: “It won’t be a Seven, of course, but it will have all the features that modern Caterham customers are familiar with: lightness, simplicity, maneuverability and performance. »

“Like the Seven, it will have a steel structure, but different because they are easy to modify during production if you need them. It will have a body with six aluminum or carbon panels: two sills, two doors, and folding hatches at the front and rear. It will be nicer and more modern than the seven and maybe have a roof. From the very beginning, we are designing it as a purely electric car, only in the power plant”– says Bob Leishley.

If the car is introduced this year, it will definitely be a concept car. The production version is not expected to arrive until 2026, despite the impatience of VT Holdings CEO Kazuho Takahashi, who has owned Caterham since 2021. Previously, the company was the official importer of the brand in Japan.