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| A handout picture taken on August 22, 2018 and released by Kalashnikov media press office, shows a retro-looking pale blue prototype electric car, the CV-1, produced by Russian arms maker Kalashnikov, in Moscow (AFP Photo/HO) |
Moscow (AFP) - Russian arms maker Kalashnikov on Thursday presented its new electric car inspired by a rare 1970s model, saying the new technology will rival Elon Musk's Tesla.
The brand,
best known for the AK-47 machine gun, presented the decidedly retro-looking
pale blue prototype, the CV-1, at a defense expo outside Moscow.
The look
was inspired by a Soviet hatchback model developed in the 1970s called
"Izh-Kombi," a statement on the Kalashnikov website said.
Holding
company Kalashnikov Concern said it has developed some cutting-edge elements
for the "electric supercar", including a "revolutionary"
inverter. The vehicle can travel 350 kilometres on one charge.
"We
are developing our own concept of an electric supercar, which is based on
several original systems developed by the concern," the firm said.
"This
technology will let us stand in the ranks of global electric car producers such
as Tesla and be their competitor," RIA-Novosti further quoted the
Kalashnikov press-service as saying.
"We
were inspired by the experience of global market leaders in developing our
concept."
Kalashnikov
Concern has long been trying to expand its brand, recently launching lines of
clothing and other civilian merchandise ranging from umbrellas to mobile phone
covers.
Its foray
into electric vehicles however was met with mixed reactions from Russians.
Comments to the news on the company's official Facebook page ranged from
"cyberpunk" to "Izh-Zombie".
"Your
tanks are great, but it would be better if you stayed away from cars," one
user wrote.
Earlier
this week, online users ridiculed Kalashnikov's new bipedal combat robot. The
golden-colour machine, reportedly named "Igorek" in production stages,
immediately became a subject of social media memes.
"Somebody
had watched too much 'Robocop'," tweeted user happy__keanu, referring to
the 1987 action film about a cyborg law enforcer.
