Spyker just showed off its first new sports car in years, the C8 Preliator, at the Geneva Motor Show last month. But its CEO Victor Muller already has his sights set on the next model: In an interview with Autocar, Muller stated his intention to produce an all-electric SUV, in addition to a V12-powered model, by 2017.
Spyker first debuted an SUV concept–the D12 Peking-to-Paris (pictured above)–ten years ago at the Geneva Motor Show. Muller says the company will show off a new, V12-powered SUV concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year, which takes inspiration from the Peking-to-Paris of 2006. Perhaps more important for Spyker's hopeful return, an electric version of the concept could follow next year.
Muller didn't confirm whether new SUV would reach production, but he seemed pretty bullish about it. He regrets not bringing the Peking-to-Paris to the market after the show car's debut.
"It has always been my long-held wish to put that car into production," Muller told Autocar. "You could say we were 10 years ahead of our time; today there are lots of luxury performance SUVs on the market, but then there were very few."
Muller is 100 percent correct on that one: Nearly every luxury/performance automaker–save a few like Ferrari, Cadillac and Lexus–currently offers, or will soon offer, a high performance SUV. If you're going to get in on the hi-po SUV trend, now's the time.
While a V12 is planned for Spyker's SUV, Muller says an electric powertrain makes a lot of sense here, more so than in a sports car.
"In a sports car you want the engagement of a combustion engine, but in an SUV I don't mind having a quiet engine," Muller said. "Electric power is much more sellable here."
Don't expect to see a hybrid Spyker, in any event: Muller thinks hybrid cars are too complex in terms of packaging, and that cooling is too great of an issue. Spyker will also break from the Tesla mold in terms of batteries—Muller worries about degradation in lithium ion batteries, preferring other battery chemistry.
Considering the C8 Preliator will start at over $350,000, Spyker's SUV will no doubt be very pricey if it reaches production. It'll likely make a Bentley Bentayga look like a Toyota Highlander.
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins served as Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist.
