A heavily camouflaged prototype has been spotted driving around California, looking a little like a blend of Tesla Model X and Toyota Venza. Prevailing speculation is that this is the automotive product shadowy autonomous EV outfit Faraday Future plans to market.
Toward the end of last year, Faraday Future started burning a lot of energy hyping itself as a revolution in everyday transportation. Fanfare peaked at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show when we were all pretty bummed to see the company’s reps pull the cover off a giant Hot Wheels-looking concept shell instead of an actual mobility solution.
“But a real car is coming,” we were promised as we grumpily shuffled out of the company’s disco-lit presentation.
But apparently a real car is coming. One that real people might actually use to get from one real place to another. And supposedly this is it.
The prototype in @paultao’s Twitter video here certainly does seem to have the same profile as the official render Faraday Future has released since the CES “presentation.”
EV news site Electrek seems to think Faraday Future is fixing to have “dozens” of drive-able prototypes in testing by the end of the year along with a possible public unveiling of the final design concept. Autoblog’s also going with “this is it,” and drew the same Toyota Venza comparison that occurred to me.
At this point nobody is really sure of much else, like price point or passenger capacity. I’d be excited for an earnest, autonomous, electric Chrysler Pacifica kind of car. Maybe not to drive, but to get everybody else’s lazy ass out of the fast lane.
Kidding, of course, but I am a lot more interested in Faraday Future again now that they do appear to be doing something with all of the resources they seem to be sucking up.