Long-promised Detroit Electric SP:01 gets new look, new production date

Hey, at least this isn't another SEMA preview

Until we actually get a chance to drive a retail-ready version of one of its products, we’ll remain skeptical of everything plug-in sports car startup Detroit Electric says about its upcoming SP:01 -- the production of which has been delayed several times since the concept was unveiled way back in 2013.

Still, we might as well share the latest info on the Lotus-based EV that’s so exclusive, none have yet been sold.
In a recent press release, Detroit Electric tells us that the SP:01 gets different styling from nose to tail (though a shot of the rear is the only glimpse we have of the update). Detroit Electric says the front air intakes and outlet ducts have been reshaped, and a prominent wing has appeared on the back. The biggest difference is the addition of a fastback, a styling feature that helps differentiate it from the Lotus Elise upon which the SP:01 is clearly based.

Detroit Electric unveiled its SP:01 electric sports car April 3 in Detroit. The Lotus-based roadster claims 201 hp from its mid-mounted electric motor and a range of up to 180 miles from its ...

Specs haven’t changed. The SP:01 gets a hypothetical 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph; previously, we’ve been told that output is 201 hp. Plans call for a 180-mile range thanks to a lithium-polymer battery pack.

Despite its name, Detroit Electric says it will begin production at its cars in a Leamington Spa, England, facility later this year. We could criticize the startup for not using Motor City workers to build its vehicles; on the other hand, Detroit Electric is simply following in the footsteps of better-known automakers. Take Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the London-headquartered, Italo-American agglomeration that somehow manages to import its cars from Detroit despite existing, technically, as a Dutch holding company.

And we’ll note that Detroit Electric’s global headquarters is in its namesake city -- inside the gorgeous Fisher Building, no less. Or one of its headquarters. There’s another one in the Netherlands. With all that overhead, how could they not succeed?