Faraday Future is currently engaged in a battle on two fronts. On the one hand, it keeps releasing teaser images that are supposedly showing us details of its upcoming electric crossover, but all they really do is make us question whether we're actually going to see a production-ready car come next month's CES 2017.
On the other hand, the company has also been guilty of publishing all sorts of short to very short clips on YouTube featuring a heavily camouflaged prototype that, frankly, wasn't doing much. The Los Angeles-based startup is surely trying to build up hype around its launch, but fleeting glimpses of vehicle covered in that irritating black and white pattern on some generic desert roads aren't going to provide much support in that direction.
This latest clip, however, is surely going to raise a lot more interest because for the first time, it promises to feature some real action. Just like Atieva (now turned Lucid Motors) did with its Edna - the Mercedes-Benz Vito mule it used to test its powertrain -, Faraday future thinks its time it pitted its upcoming EV against some of the world's quickest cars in a head-to-head drag race.
Since the video is published on Faraday Future's channel, I think we all know what to expect from it: a resounding victory for the mysterious electric crossover. And it does face quite some fierce opposition: there's a Tesla Model X (presumably a P100D with Ludicrous), a Bentley Bentayga (the fastest SUV with an internal combustion engine), and a Ferrari 488 GTB with all its 670 horsepower and Italian racing pedigree.
Of course, since this is just a teaser, you'll have to stay tuned for the actual results. However, this strategy of flooding us with teasers of both the video and still image kind can backfire. There are still quite a few weeks until the planned January launch, and if Faraday Future keeps up the rhythm from these past few days, it might be too much.
There's a fine point beyond which the excitement it seeks to create can turn into frustration. Teasing is good, but you do have to know when to stop. If it does release the sequel to this clip before the launch (and considering the car is all covered up, we don't see why FF wouldn't), it would represent a welcome departure from the usual business. We'll keep you informed.
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