DeLorean Slashes Production Estimate, Reservation Price of Longshot Alpha5 EV
Call up Doc Brown because a DeLorean EV coming soon sounds about as plausible as a time machine.
The last time we checked in on DeLorean, the company was suing NBCUniversal for unpaid royalties from the Back to the Future franchise. Or rather, we should say “a company” because there are several companies related to the iconic sports car brand from the 1980s—and all of them sound like they could use some help.
The Delorean in question here is the one who said they’re going to build the Alpha5 EV, not the Kat DeLorean-backed DNG Motors that promised assembly of its JZD car last month, nor the ill-fated rebadged Reliant Robin three-wheeler from a man claiming to be John DeLorean’s illegitimate son. Yeah, the twists and turns of John DeLorean have followed his name even after John’s death in 2005.
But the DeLorean Alpha5 EV is perhaps the most promising of the bunch, and it too has hit a snag. According to media reports, the company is cutting production of the Alpha5 EV way back—from 9,531 units to just 4,000—and dropping the reservation cost down to $2,500 for a short time. After 500 reservations are made at $2,500 the cost increases by $500. After the next 500 reservations are made, the cost goes up again and again and again. What happens next isn’t exactly clear.
DeLorean says it randomizes build slots for the DeLorean, which it will produce for five years, which means early reservation holders may be asked to wait until the end of production—nearly 2030—to receive their car. Or, DeLorean says reservation holders can trade or purchase other build slots from other reservation holders in a marketplace. It’s not clear if DeLorean will make a commission on any build-slot swaps, but we reached out to a company spokesperson to ask. We’ll update this story if they answer that, and other questions we asked.
The Alpha5 doesn’t yet have a price, but the company said it will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds, have more than 300 miles of range from an electric battery of more than 100 kWh and a top speed of 155 mph. All of that presupposes that a DeLorean car actually makes it to market and, right now, a time machine sounds more likely.
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