Mason Bloom
Drako Motors, the same electric automaker that brought us the 1,200-horsepower GTE hyper-sedan, has given us a sneak preview of a new, high-performance SUV. The California-based company has released dimly-lit images of the Dragon: a vehicle that Drako claims will hit the 60 mile-per-hour mark in less than two seconds thanks in part to 2,000 horsepower sent to all four wheels.
The Dragon employs an in-house DriveOS Quad Motor Powertrain, battery system, and “nanosecond-precise” DriveOS vehicle architecture with individual-wheel torque control which Drako says makes possible a 9-second quarter mile time and blisteringly-quick 200-mph top speed. Drako’s bold claims regarding the Dragon don’t stop there as the automaker also says its three-stage suspension system is advanced enough to “conquer both roads and trails.”
Drako does most of the Dragon’s engineering in-house, but the car’s design is accredited to Lowie Vermeersch, former design director of Pininfarina. At Pininfarina, Vermeersch oversaw the design of the Maserati Birdcage 75th, Ferrari 458, and Lightyear 0 among others. The grainy teaser images posted to Drako’s website reveal the Dragon’s daring gullwing doors, a monumental grille, and equally large hood scoop. A severely-sloping fastback roof and flying buttresses are also visible.
Performance of this caliber and styling developed by Pininfarina’s former design director must constitute a price tag well into six digits, right? Not necessarily; Drako announced that while the Dragon “so thoroughly outclasses the best offerings in the world” it will be priced “competitively.” No figure was given. In what Drako calls “existing super-SUV segment” most vehicles are priced in $200-300,000 range, so if Drako manages to price its latest offering that low, it will likely be targeting the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, Aston Martin DBX, and Bentley Bentayga Speed.
Reservations for the Dragon will be open shortly after its reveal later this year.
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