The AIM EV Sport 01 stole the show at the Automobile Council this week with a head-turning design from none other than Shiro Nakamura. Mr. Nakamura is the former Nissan senior vice president/chief creative officer credited with designing some of the brand’s most iconic vehicles, including the GT-R.
AIM is an engineering company based in Nagoya, Japan, focusing on automotive development. Founded in 1998, AIM is best known for developing engines for endurance races like the Le Mans.
However, with the auto industry transitioning to fully electric vehicles much quicker than most predicted, AIM got ahead of the trend. The company’s representative director, Mr. Yukinori Suzuki, explained:
After achieving certain results at Le Mans, we jointly developed a motor with a British company in anticipation of the arrival of the EV era, and it was used in London buses. We developed the chassis. Instead of focusing on acceleration performance like today’s EV sports cars, we pursued the fun of driving by controlling the torque vector and turning.
According to Automobile Council, Mr. Nakamura had said for some time that having a chassis alone would be a waste, so he suggested adding a body.
AIM asked Mr. Nakamura to design the body with the process beginning in July, just missing the Goodwood in June, so the Automobile Council in Japan was the perfect place for the unveiling.
Is the AIM EV Sport 01 the coolest Japanese EV so far?
The AIM EV Sport 01 is the first installment in the company’s new NEV (New Energy Vehicle) project.
Although battery specs were not released, the AIM EV Sport 01 will be powered by dual electric high-performance motors for a combined 600 hp output.
The vehicle’s compact carbon body is less than 4 m (about 13 ft) long and weighs around 1,500 kg (3,306 lbs), with roughly 300 km (186 mi) of driving range on a single charge.
Nakamura says the chassis was designed to create a fun driving experience rather than being particularly worried about acceleration performance.
As you can see, the AIM EV Sport 01 takes design features from fan-favorite Nissan models like the 350Z but with a hint of the Porsche Carrera GT.
Mr. Suzuki said the company plans to announce the second version within the year, adding, “I want everyone to know that this kind of thing can be made by all Japan.”
city-dwellers’s Take
The AIM EV is arguably not only the most stylishly designed EV out of Japan so far, but it may be the coolest since the Nissan GT-R.
While Japanese automakers, including Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, have struggled to transition to fully electric vehicles, AIM seems to be figuring it out.
At the same time, the AIM EV Sport 01 will likely not be a mass-market electric vehicle, and although the price was not disclosed, it will be on the higher end of the spectrum. In other words, the electric sports car will likely be a limited release with an expensive price tag.
Either way, it’s still one of the best-designed Japanese EVs so far. What do you guys think? Would you drive the AIM EV Sport 01?
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