Caterham will finally show its first electric sports car prototype to the public next month at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan.
The British manufacturer first announced Project V back in 2023. The company planned to launch the lightweight electric vehicle earlier this year but has remained quiet about the car’s progress since then.
Kazuho Takahashi, Caterham’s CEO, confirmed the rolling prototype will make its debut at the Tokyo show on January 9.
Takahashi also runs VT Holdings, the Japanese company that bought Caterham in 2021. He said engineers are already testing the Japanese-built prototype to check how well the chassis holds up and evaluate the Yamaha electric motor and Xing battery pack.
“This next step enables us to begin a comprehensive vehicle testing program in collaboration with our technical partners. Our objective remains unchanged: to realise our vision of a pure-electric sports car that embodies the unmistakable DNA of a Caterham.”
The debut marks a major shift for Caterham.
The Dartford-based company built its reputation on tiny two-seat roadsters with petrol engines from Ford and Suzuki. Project V features a hard-top design that’s completely different from anything Caterham has made before.
Technical Specifications
Caterham isn’t sharing full details about the prototype yet. The company previously said Project V would use a 268-horsepower rear-mounted motor and 55kWh battery pack.
The target weight sits under 1.2 tonnes thanks to carbon fiber and aluminum construction. Caterham aimed for a 0-62mph time under 4.5 seconds with around 250 miles of range from the immersion-type battery.
Those specs might have changed since electric car technology moves fast.
The original launch target was mid-2025 but the production version likely won’t arrive until 2027 at the earliest. When it does hit the market, Project V will compete against other electric sports cars like the Alpine A110 EV and the electric Porsche Cayman.
Caterham also plans to display the original Project V concept at the 2026 CES show in Las Vegas on January 6. The company will partner with battery supplier Xing for that appearance.
