Piëch Automotive Mark Zero EV is a Family Affair

Given the empire-like scope of the Volkswagen Group that owns Audi and the weight of the name Piëch within every corner of the company, the idea of an electric car wearing the Piëch name is sure to grab the attention of any enthusiast tuned in and reading this website. As it turns out, this car isn’t a project of the one time Audi chairman and later Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch, but rather his sone Anton.

Not much is known of the Swiss automotive startup yet beyond the famous name and the precious few drawings you see here. All that is set to change though on March 5, when the firm says they’ll be revealing this new car dubbed “Mark Zero”.

The car is said to utilize a new architecture developed by a a team of industry leaders and headed by Anton Piëch’s business partner Rea Stark Rajcic. While the chassis is flexible enough to accept multiple types of powertrains, the Piëch Mark Zero will be a battery electric vehicle.

The Mark Zero’s designers have shared that one advantage will be the car’s batteries themselves. A new cell type contributes to a range of 500 kilometers (300+ miles) and offer short charging times and low heat generation for easier cooling. This helps keep weight down to 1800 kilograms (3,970 lbs).

This sports coupe is expected to arrive on the market by 2021, and be followed by a sedan and an SUV not long after. An advantage of the modular platform concept underpinning the Mark Zero, is that vehicles can be more readily updated with the latest tech for a longer period of time thanks to more easily interchangeable hardware components.

With so many new electric cars coming to market, the Piëch will face stiff competition. Cars like Audi’s e-tron GT will hit the market a full year ahead of that, and have the advantage of component economies of scale given it shares its platform with the Porsche Taycan.

More Information: Piech.com