As the European Union and the U. K. prepare to ban internal combustion engines in the next decade, Caterham, like most automakers operating primarily in those regions, is betting on electric vehicles in the long term.
That long-term will come with an electric edition of the iconic Seven track car, as well as a more conventional convertible sports car, according to Caterham CEO Bob Laishley in an interview with Autocar.
The new sports car is said to be the preference of Kazuho Takahashi, a former racing powerhouse whose vehicle distribution company in Japan, VT Holdings, acquired Caterham in 2021.
In his interview with Autoautomobile, Laishley described the sports car as “prettier and more modern” than the Seven, but with the same steel-framed space structure construction. He also said the car would respect Caterham’s qualities of lightness and simplicity. Highlighting that the frame would be aluminum or car fiber.
Caterham almost introduced a conventional sports car in the last decade. It introduced its own sports car alongside the mid-engined Alpine A110, but finally finished the task in 2014.
Autoautomobile predicts that the new electric sports car could arrive around 2026.
The electric Seven will arrive much later. In his interview with Autoautomobile, Laishley said that no one had ordered an electric Seven and that the existing EV generation was still too heavy for a car like the Seven.