Mercedes, Porsche, Hyundai, Maserati, Tesla… The best electric sports cars

Lhis rapid conversion of the auto industry to electric drive is shaking up the cards, upsetting the hitherto entrenched leadership dominated by luxury brands. The best example of this radical change: the arrival of Tesla, the pioneering American brand of high-end electric cars created in 2003 and which has become a new benchmark in this field, going on to dominate this particular market thanks to record sales. of its Model 3 and Y. But Tesla has just presented, last year, the Model S Plaid, a performance grand tourer (1,020 hp, 0 to 100 km/h in 2.1 seconds – from €109,990 ) capable of competing with the best . current sports cars, regardless of their type of motion.

About the Roadster, which should be presented at the end of the year, Elon Musk, the boss of the American brand logo, announced in his usual charming style: “There will never be another car like this – if you can even call it a car,” making special reference to its unprecedented acceleration capabilities. Meanwhile, the title of the most efficient electric sports car that is sold properly goes to another startup company, the Croatian, Rimac, whose Nevera claims a top speed of 412 km/h and 0 to 100 km/h in less than 1.8 s. , all for the stratospheric price of 2 million euros excluding tax.

From 12 cylinders to three phases

Of course, many “historical” producers were not satisfied with counting points in the face of this offensive situation. If Aston Martin, in the grip of financial problems, had to postpone the launch of its first 100% model until 2026, even the brands that we thought were farthest from this technology due to the fact that their reputations were built a lot. the power and music of their hot engine of 6, 8 or 12 cylinders, well these are also moving to the electric field. So, although we will still have to wait until 2025 to enjoy the first battery-powered Ferrari, Maserati has already started offering its models in the “Folgore” (“electric”) version. And after the Granturismo with three electric motors for a total power of 830 hp released a few months ago, it is the turn of the Grecale SUV to receive this “electric” treatment with two permanent magnet motors that develop a total of 558 hp.

Germans in the front line

Even better, German premium brands have already largely started their conversion. For example, BMW has launched in recent months three large electric road cars with the “M” logo, that is to say with high-performance chains: the i4-M50 with 544 hp, the i5-M60 with 601 hp and 660 hp i7-M70 limousine. A similar strategy at Mercedes-AMG, whose EQE 53 of 626 hp and EQS 53 of 761 hp are aimed at the same customers, wealthy and accustomed to electric technology. These two brands rely not only on their features, but also on the manufacturing quality, comfort and dynamic performance of their sedans to differentiate themselves.

But it is Porsche that, for now, seems to be the best at gaining control in this arms race. While we await the launch of the much-anticipated Macan SUV, it’s the new Taycan electric tourer from the German sports car maker that’s in the news today. Deliverable starting next spring, it can now develop up to 1,108 hp. Tuned and equipped with suspension to improve its handling, it has broken records previously set by Tesla at the circuits of Laguna Seca, in California, and the Nürburgring, in Germany. An exhibition featuring the expertise of a manufacturer involved in motorsport for over seventy years.

Chinese women in ambush

Finally, other brands are taking advantage of this transition period to try to relaunch themselves, such as Lotus, in which the Chinese giant Geely, an electric car specialist, became a majority shareholder in 2017. So, after the flagship Evija is launched in 2020 and the Eletre SUV sold in 2023, is a large Emeya road car that is preparing to show the skills of the English brand for this new type of operation, with a power of up to 918 hp and a range between 500 and 610. km depending on the version. To prove itself worthy of the reputation of Lotus, it is also mainly in the area of power characteristics and handling, like Porsche, that the Emeya should put emphasis, thanks to its controlled suspension and its four steering wheels, ensuring a safe and agile behavior. . And the Geely group can also directly try its luck in the Old Continent with the Zeekr 001 FR, a bullet brake with a 100 kWh battery and equipped with 4 electric motors (one for each wheel) with a total power of 1,280 hp.

Get back to driving pleasure

However, some brands seem to understand that this arms race can lead to dead ends, and that beyond a certain point, pure power can provide more frustration than satisfaction. What is the point of speeding up if the road network does not allow you to take advantage of them, or at the risk of immediately losing your driving license there. Therefore, manufacturers of electric sports cars now seem to want to prioritize driving pleasure over time values.

In this area, the approach followed by Hyundai for its new Ioniq 5 N looks very interesting. Instead of favoring record power – which is, however, nothing ridiculous, with 650 hp in “boost” mode – Korean engineers tried to simulate the mechanical operation of a model equipped with a hot engine and a controlled automatic transmission and paddles on the steering wheel. the wheel. Sounds, vibrations, jerks during gear changes, all sensations are faithfully reproduced to make the driving experience more interesting. And it works!

Even better, the Japanese brand Toyota has already announced that it is working on electric prototypes to go further, as they are able to imitate as faithfully as possible the behavior of the car he chose, even if it is a prototype and manual. Transmission, some of these prototypes are even equipped with gear lever and clutch pedal that can be activated on request. From a peaceful electric car designed to be as comfortable and quiet as possible every day, maybe soon we will be able to go from pressing a button to an old-fashioned sports car, which roars, and whose Driving requires a total. get involved to get more benefits. The best of both worlds by the way§

From 12 cylinders to three phases

Germans in the front line

Chinese women in ambush

Get back to driving pleasure

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