Citroen mulls building electric racecar (concept car Friday)
It's deja vu all over again as Citroen announces intentions to produce the electric Survolt racing concept, albeit in limited quantities.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
First unveiled at the 2010 Geneva auto show, the Citroen Survolt is a techno-organic beauty with its tasteful use of color, sharp creases, and flowing curves. Beneath those curves, the concept packs dual electric motors that convert flowing electrons into a combined 300 horsepower and enough twisting force (738 pound-feet, to be exact) to motivate the Survolt silently to 62 mph in less than 5 seconds and onward to a reported top speed of 162 mph.
The concept's twin 31 kW lithium ion batteries should enable it to cover 124 miles between two-hour charging cycles with a vehicle specific high-output charger (or a 10-hour charge from a 220-volt appliance outlet). However, the most interesting tidbit is that Citroen is reportedly considering producing the electric racecar, albeit in limited quantities.
On the heels of the Survolt concept's performance alongside real racecars in the Le Mans Classic at the Circuit de la Sarthe, U.K. publication Autocar quotes a source at Citroen stating "It's still our intention to put the Survolt into low-volume production, and we're pursuing the idea of a one-make race series."
If you're thinking that this all sounds familiar, you're not alone. Last year, Citroen announced intentions to build the crazy duck-tailed GTbyCitroen concept from the 2008 Paris Motor Show and Gran Turismo Prologue for the PS3, only to cancel those plans months later. So, while we're intrigued by the idea of an electric supercar, we're not exactly holding our collective breath.
More likely to make it to production is the long and low Citroen Metropolis concept, which debuted at the Shanghai Motor Show. This vehicle would potentially be produced wearing the automakers' DS9 nameplate for the Chinese market as a foil to the long wheelbase variants of the BMW 7-series and Audi A8 luxury sedans.
Check out our photo gallery for more on-track images of the Citroen Survolt concept at the Le Mans Classic. For more electric supercars, check out our coverage of freshly revealed Mercedes-Benz E-Cell and Renault DeZir concepts.