The 1500 hp Bugatti Chiron has never been marketed
in China, because the country’s strict anti-pollution laws would make it far
too expensive. So what do you do if you are Chinese and you really want one
anyway? Easy, You get an electric one.
This little beauty is called the P8. It is
manufactured by a company called Shandong Qilu Fengde, based in China’s
Shandong Province. The P8 is a low-speed electric vehicle, or LSEV. That means,
among lots of other things, that you don’t need to have a driving license to
drive one.
The P8 is available in over black and white over
black. Classic dual tone, just like on the Bugatti. The overall design has been
ripped off nicely, especially at the front and at the C-pillar.
Size: 4100/1800/1430 mm.
Chiron: 4544/2038/1212 mm.
It also is an electric; no worries about big-engine
and gas-guzzling taxes. Price starts at 31.999 yuan, that’s just US$ 5040. We
can’t be sure how much exactly the Chiron would have costs had it been sold
here. But an educated guess would place the price at about US$ 9 million,
including all import taxes, environment taxes, and super car taxes.
The Shandong Qilu Fengde P8 is powered by an
electric motor with 3.35 (three point thirty five) horsepower. The motor is
mated to a 72V lead-acid battery. By law, the top speed of an LSEV has to be
restricted to 50 kilometer per hour, and so it is here. But the company says
that the P8 will do 65 km/h un-restricted, so it is apparently easy to take the
restriction off. Range is a decent 150 kilometers. Charging takes 10 hours on
220V.
The interior is not bad for an LSEV. There is a
digital instrument panel, a 7 inch touch screen, a sporty steering wheel, red
carpeting, a shiny lever, and a big red kill-switch. These kill switches are
obligatory in any LSEV. The company says that the infotainment system can play
MP5 video.
Unlike the Chiron the P8 has two
more seats, so it is classified as a four-seat vehicle. The rear seats aren’t
much more than a simple bench, but seats they are.
