The Los Angeles Auto Show recently announced Saleen
would unveil its latest vehicle at this year's event and it now appears the
company will showcase the S1 sports car.
According to China Daily, Jiangsu Saleen Automotive
Technology CEO Charles Wang confirmed the company's first model in China will
be the S1 sports car and it will be launched at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The
model will be a two-door coupe that features a turbocharged 2.3-liter engine
that produces 450 hp and 577 Nm of torque. Autoguide
reports the engine will be four-cylinder sourced from Ford and it will enable
the S1 to have a top speed of 290 km/h.
Little else is known about the S1 but Car News China
says the model was recently shown in China and is heavily influenced by the
Artega GT. The model will reportedly have a carbon fiber body and Wang
confirmed an "electric version will follow in 2018."
The S1 will be built at a new plant in Rugao, China
and construction is slated to be finished by June. The factory will reportedly
be able to build up to 150,000 vehicles annually. That sounds like a lot of
capacity for a sports car but Wang confirmed the company intends to follow in
the footsteps of Porsche and "produce all sorts of passenger cars including
sedans, SUVs and crossovers."
