Caterham Drops Plans for 2.0 Turbo in New Car; Priced Around €35k

CaterhamCaterhamUnited Kingdom, 1973 > present9 models
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is revealing new details about the car it is developing with RenaultRenaultFrance, 1898 > present189 models
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that will be both a new Caterham and new AlpineAlpineFrance, 1955 > 199414 models
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car.

Caterham’s engineers have dropped plans to use Renault’s turbocharged 2.0-liter engine for its versions of the car, but it could still make its way into the Alpine version. Instead, Caterham is considering using either a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine or turbo 1.8-liter engine both of which would still come from Renault.

Caterham’s goal with its car is to fill the space left by the partial collapse of LotusLotusUnited Kingdom, 1952 > present68 models
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. It believes that it can build 3,000 units a year at first. Seventy percent of the parts will be shared with the Alpine to save on costs. Caterham owner Tony Fernandes wants to market the cars heavily in Asia.

"When you’ve got an owner with an airline that will fly 40 million people there next year, you’ve got a big target market.

"If we do a good car, people will recognize it — and I’m confident that they’re going to. In a lot of parts of the world, Caterham isn’t that well known, and therefore we’re free to define the brand," said Caterham CEO Mike Gascoyne.

The engineers at Caterham are aiming for the car to start around €35,000 when it goes on sale later next year. The Alpine version will be priced closer to €50,000 and have a higher standard of equipment and luxury inside.

Source: Autocar