These days, we see announcements of new automotive startups with some regularity. It’s quite uncommon, though, to see one succeed. We rarely bother to tell you about them, because the hard truth is that breaking into the auto industry is brutally hard, and few of these cars will ever be practical options for car shoppers. Even the world’s most valuable company is taking a gradual approach, as we reported earlier this week.
This one’s cute, though. And, just before Christmas, there isn’t much else going on.
So, witness the Alpha Motor Corporation’s new Ace coupe. Created in Irvine, California (where much of your KBB staff does its work), the Ace is a rear-wheel drive 2-door with spiritual roots in the original Ford Escort and the slate of European competitors it faced fifty years ago. It even comes on tires with massive, 1970s-style sidewalls.
And, like those cars, it technically seats four, but you wouldn’t want to ask anyone to sit in those back seats for long. Even the car’s advertising copy says the rear seats are “for occasional storage.”
Sleek style
On the outside, short overhangs, a downward-curving roofline that isn’t quite a classic fastback, and flared fenders make it cute. The shape suggests the Ace is capable of spirited pace. There is, but not much. Alpha says the Ace will go from zero-to-sixty in a respectable six seconds, which is a bit slow for an electric car. They claim a driving range of about 250 miles.
The interior is a neat combination of vintage and state-of-the-art. Minimalist, squared-off lines and vinyl door pulls suggest the Johnson era. A huge, central touchscreen that controls all climate and entertainment functions cribs from Tesla.
Alpha has taken a unique approach to one of the design challenges EV builders often face. Drivers are accustomed to finding a raised console between the front seats – something originally necessitated by the transmission tunnel required in conventional, gasoline-powered vehicles. There is no functional reason for an EV to have one, since there is no corresponding transmission running down the center of the car. But most EV designs mimic one, anyway, to feel familiar. The ACE has a cantilevered shelf in its place, with open space under it.
The company has begun taking reservations for the cute little car, but, oddly, has provided no pricing details. They hope to launch production by 2023.
