The (in)famous rifle manufacturer Kalashnikov isn’t sticking to its guns — both literally and figuratively — as much as it used to. After making weapons for 214 years, it’s now eyeing a piece of the EVmarket.
Come off it, Ioanna, you say. I hear you. And maybe you’re imagining an aggressive vehicle with firearms attached all around. That was on my mind too.
The UV-4 four-wheeler
Kalashnikov first showed off its UV-4 four-wheeler back in 2018, initially presented as a prototype at the international forum ARMY.
A year later, the company introduced the UV-4’s taxi variant.
The taxi version basically shared the same characteristics with the original, but had an improved air-conditioning and heating system.
Now, the patent images indicate that the UV-4 hasn’t changed much, retaining the original odd shape of a quadricycle (which makes it look a whole lot like an elongated Renault Twizy), the military-style doors, and the exposed wheels.
In my opinion, its styling is a bit weird. It doesn’t have a full-width front like most cars, and opts for a narrower nose. Plus, the rear end is also aggressively styled, and the overall shape is reminiscent of classic cars from the 1920s. That’s a strange combination.
If we assume that it shares the same specs with its predecessors, then it would feature an (unspecified) battery pack that should allow for a 80km/h top speed and 150km of range. The company has also suggested a power figure of 67hp.
Regarding the interior, we can expect that it’ll maintain the minimalistic style of the exterior design — no fluffs and extras, just the basics. You only need the essentials to go to battle, right?
The unnamed three-wheeler
The electric three wheeler is even smaller. It looks like it shares the same front end with its four-wheel brother, but is somewhat more rounded and has no doors — so it’s kinda like a reverse auto rickshaw.
There’s room for two passengers and some luggage (I guess?). It also comes with a sunroof.
There’s no official word on a launch date, but given that the company has been working on the prototypes for some years now, I wouldn’t be surprised if an announcement would follow soon.
If you ask me, I’m impressed by the peace-making character of Kalashnikov’s minicars, but not by the vehicles themselves. And although they’re meant for urban drivers, I doubt consumers would opt for a city car that looks like it rolled right off a battlefield.
I prefer Kalashnikov’s CV-1 electric concept car, based on the 1970s Russian family car, the Moskvich 412. It’s much more powerful and way more elegant.
Still, I wouldn’t buy a vehicle from a company that produces currently weapons unless, I don’t know, someone put a gun to my head.