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Tesla Roadster II Performance Rival Coming in 2018 from Rimac, Looks like This

The still small Croatian firm called Rimac Automobili has already disrupted the EV and automotive world in general with its Concept_One electric hypercar.
Rimac Automobili teaser for 2018 Geneva Motor Show 1 photo
Photo: Rimac Automobili
Built in very small numbers and packing an electric powertrain capable of developing 1 MW of power (that'd be 1,360 hp), the sleek-looking performance vehicle could be seen out-performing Bugatti Veyrons and Porsche 918 Spyders.

But it wasn't just a few electric motors on wheels. The Concep_One also had a pleasing design, and its infotainment system was one of the most complex - if not THE MOST complex - we've seen in a car. The amount of vehicle information it could give the driver was astonishing, to the level where it might even seem intimidating to some.

However, all this did come at a price, and buying a Rimac Concept_One wasn't difficult just because there were so few of them, but also because they sold for over one million dollars. Compared to other hypercars we mentioned that don't even match its performance, that's bubble gum money, but it still places the EV in the more stratospheric end of the market.

If Rimac knew Tesla was going to show the next Roadster at the Semi event last month, we're pretty sure it would have said something about its upcoming model earlier, but it didn't. That means it now has to play catch up even though the Roadster is scheduled for 2020 while the yet unnamed Croatian hypercar should be launched next year.

The teaser image released yesterday doesn't say much about the vehicle apart from the fact it'll be a "game changer." Considering Tesla's announced specs for the Roadster, Rimac's entry should have at least similar numbers, if not better. Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing here: 1.9-sec 0-60 mph acceleration and 250+ mph top speed.

The image is pretty telling and it suggests Rimac paid a lot more attention to aerodynamics this time. The car has the classic shape of a performance vehicle, and since there's no big engine to place behind the cabin, it actually has better proportions than a mid-engined vehicle, but also a shorter hood than a front-engined one.

It looks like the rear is where the magic happens, with all sorts of complicated shapes hinting at active aerodynamic elements and a large wing giving us hope the car won't go fast just in a straight line, but will be able to corner as well.

Two things Rimac's hypercar will probably not be able to match are Tesla's range of 620 miles (1,000 km) "at highway speed" and its price of $200,000. But the Roadster is still a prototype, and those numbers were just flaunted on a screen, so we'll have to wait and see if they all materialize in 2020.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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