A LEGENDARY British car brand is close to fully unveiling its very first electric car – some two years after it was first revealed to the world.
Caterham, the sports car maker best known for the Seven, is set to take the wraps off a near-production version of its first EV, the Project V, on January 9 at the Tokyo Auto Salon.
This first rolling prototype marks a significant step forward in development.
The firm has been relatively quiet since October last year, when it revealed a partnership with Yamaha for the car’s electric motors.
And according to Auto Express, Caterham will now assess Yamaha’s rear-mounted motor, along with battery safety and performance and the chassis’s durability, as part of its testing programme.
The famous manufacturer, which has been around since 1973, is today owned by VT Holdings, the Japanese company that has imported the Caterham Seven since 2009 and acquired Caterham in 2021.
Project V was first revealed as a concept at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed and was originally targeted for a 2026 launch.
But with full testing only just beginning, that timeline appears unlikely.
The concept originally promised 268 bhp, a range of 249 miles and a price below £80,000, yet in the past two years rival tech has advanced while the commercial case for electric sports cars has weakened.
This trend is reflected across the industry, with Lotus – having yet to confirm a launch date for its Type 135 electric sports car and is prioritising plug-in hybrids – a prime example.
Porsche, too, has encountered delays with the electric successors to the 718 Boxster and Cayman, revising its strategy to keep combustion engines in top versions rather than going EV-only.
Against this backdrop, it remains unclear whether Caterham will stick to its original all-electric plan for Project V, or consider a combustion-powered variant as well.
This comes as a little-known car brand has got Tesla firmingly in their sights with an update to its striking Model Y lookalike – that’s both cheaper and a little more advanced than its US rival.
XPeng’s G6, which has been on sale in the UK since February, has already been improved with a number of little tweaks – all the while keeping its price below that of Tesla.
Orders for the refreshed range begin in February 2026 with the RWD Standard Range starting at £39,990 – nearly £3,000 less than the new entry-level Model Y Standard.
Pitched against other popular electric family cars such as the Renault Scenic, Ford Explorer and Hyundai Ioniq 5, its big selling point revolves around charging
