AEHRA Sedan — A new Italian Profile
If I’m being totally honest, the perfect car does not exist.
We’ve tried for decades to create a universally loved car, one that will meet everyone’s needs—aesthetic and performance alike—but in more recent times, the environment has (finally) got a seat in the consideration conversation.
Change is never easy, and to say it’s been a challenge is an understatement, with confusion and deliberation rippling through the automotive industry like the aftershock of an eco-friendly earthquake. The planet is fighting to be heard and it appears the powers that be are ready to give it voice, with a plethora of options being persued—some more viable, others more imminent—but what is clear that this enviro-focused approach is here to stay.
Creating a new brand at the best of times is not easy and even less so when you are entering a legacy space, one where there is not only a huge barrier to entry in terms of experience but the weight of history itself is against you.
So it is with AEHRA, an emerging Italian supercar brand with a difference — they only make electric cars. Sacrilege or progression? Depends who you ask, but also depends on which generation; the impending environmental needs starting to take precedence of thought, as the potential of a detrimental outcome nears a reality. That said we’re dealing with Italian automotive here, a legacy that is steeped in passionate design and equally passionate engines.
What is it that makes an Italian supercar so special? Is it design? Heritage? Sound? All of the former one could argue, with manufacturers now seeking to find the natural evolution for a sector that has been at the forefront of automotive for almost a century.
Naturally AEHRA founder Hazim Nada has much to say on that topic being a both a native of the country and a supercar customer—now creator. He understands the target market, and more importantly he understands the Italian way of life, their modus operandi—and he wants to protect it.
“Italy has always been a centre of creativity.” AEHRA CEO Hazim Nada tells me, as we sit down at the iconic location of the Autodromo di Modena. “I say this as a person who’s not originally from Italy, I adopted this as my country. I grew up here and I’m proud of it. But certainly I can say that I have not seen a country that has the creativity of this land.
The automotive industry has somehow lost that. The mass production of Italy has effectively been bought by other people. We see it on a daily basis, but gradually it will be moved out of Italy. Whether it’s in 10 years, whether it’s in 20 years, sooner or later it will be moved out. What remains that is intrinsically connected to the to the land are the brands related to the internal combustion engine. Their spirit, their brand, their identity is the roar of the V12. What does it mean for Italian electric? So far, we think we’re the only expression of that. We’d be happy to see other people but and there are some hypercar manufacturers that have adopted electric and I wish them all the best but they are micro scales, micro projects. If we are successful, we will be the only effective real EV entity that can survive this transition within the Italian ecosystem.”
And Hazim lives his words too, with the AEHRA team comprising of the elder statesmen of Italian supercar heritage, having worked for the likes of Lamborghini, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo Centro Stile. They’ve recently bolstered that further with the appointment of Franco Cimatti, as their new CTO, fresh from a thirty-two year career at Ferrari.
The first question many will have is what is the main difference between the new AEHRA Sedan and the AEHRA SUV? For once the answer is actually as obvious at it would first appear. The squat profile and the subtleties in design lead the way, with core underlying components kept as similar as possible to the SUV in order to help with both construction and ongoing repair costs, should they arise.
If anything this new AEHRA Sedan takes the character of the AEHRA SUV and shows it in its purest form, exuding the essence of Italian elegance and giving appearance of motion even while the vehicle is stationary. This is a product of passion, an emotional design; this is very Italian. In fact such was the emotion on unveiling the AEHRA Sedan, Chief Design Officer Filippo Perini was reduced to tears:
“We really put all our passion in this project—not only me but the team—and I was proud to see the reaction of the people. I knew the car was beautiful but it’s one thing is to know and another thing is to see it, see that the people like it. There were some people saying “Bellissima!” and this was very touching to me.”
