Swiss upstart Morand details new Hypercar

WITH the Swedes, Germans, Italians, Brits, Americans and even the Croatians all now firmly established in the hypercar scene, the Swiss have decided to join the party with a new speed machine set to be available in both plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric forms.

Due to go into production in 2023, both versions of the Morand Hypercar are expected launch from 0-200km/h in less than 7.0 seconds and top out at more than 400km/h.

Such performance is not possible without some eye-watering outputs and that is exactly what both the PHEV and electric versions of the Hypercar possess.

The entry-level car will be powered by a PHEV system based around a V10 petrol engine of undisclosed capacity which will then be boosted by the addition of three electric motors.

Drawing its electric power from a 65kg battery pack, the PHEV is expected to develop more than 883kW of power and go from 0-200km/h in around 6.4 seconds with the whole package weighing in at “under 1370kg” thanks to its ‘natural fibre’ body.

Like many of the other rabid PHEVs on the market these days, the Hypercar PHEV will be able to be driven under electric power alone, boasting an effective range of around 70km.

The battery-electric version on the other hand ups the ante in almost every respect with a predicted power output of more than 1471kW from its quad electric-motor set-up.

Weighing in at “under 1250kg”, the BEV is even lighter than the PHEV and with nearly double the power, it should be considerably faster off the mark – no official figure has been released yet.

While the official battery capacities of both versions are yet to be detailed, Morand says the BEV Hypercar will cover 301km on a full charge, something that can be achieved after just 10 minutes “depending on the charging point”.

As previously mentioned, both versions are expected to top 400km/h and so plenty of development work has been and is being done in wind tunnels to nail the aerodynamics.

The body itself is being developed and produced by Swiss natural fibre specialists Bcomp, with company CSO Per Mårtensson saying the brand was “excited to be part of the first Swiss hypercar”.

“The Morand vision to create a sustainable, Swiss hypercar using the latest technologies is very much aligned with both macro trends and our beliefs at Bcomp – that sustainability is an integral part of performance,” he said.

Morand Cars co-founder Eric Boullier reciprocated Mr Mårtensson’s sentiments and said his brand was enjoying the opportunity to work with specialist Swiss firms like Bcomp.

“We have a shared outlook and goal, to lead the way in sustainable performance,” he said.

It is not yet known if the Hypercar will be a bespoke, limited-run offering or if it will be going into full-scale production however a million-dollar pricetag is more than likely with the first prototypes set to emerge next year.