The Aehra SUV is a swoopy, luxury EV from the designer of the Aventador

A couple of months ago we brought you news of a new Italian car manufacturer that planned to build a luxury EV SUV, which it would follow with a luxury EV saloon. That carmaker was Aehra.

At the time we had some very rough sketches and news that the company had employed ex-Lamborghini design boss Filippo Perini to pen the looks of its products, but other than statements of intent there was nothing more to go on.

It looks like things are progressing fairly rapidly though, because Aehra has now shown off its first product in the flesh. The SUV (yep, that’s its name right now) doesn’t follow the traditional rules of car design, with Aehra using the electric powertrain packaging advantages to create something seriously swoopy, with short overhangs, a three metre wheelbase and a cab forward approach. 

The doors are rather wild too. Aehra says they’re elytra-like (clearly Perini is a fan of beetles) and allow access to an “exceptionally spacious cabin that effortlessly accommodates four NBA-size players in complete comfort”. Well, at least we now know the target market. We’re yet to see that interior or hear any powertrain details, but given how there’s forged carbon fibre used for the body and lots of chat about ‘luxury’, we can be fairly certain it’ll all be very high-end.

We’re also told that there’s “class-leading aerodynamics” which isn’t so surprising given the shape, and apparently there’s also movable aero elements at the front and rear of the SUV. Could be quite the long-range EV if Aehra gets the powertrain and battery right. 

We won’t see the finished product for a while yet, with deliveries for both the SUV and the (as-yet-unseen) saloon both set to begin in 2025. But still, what do we think of the design folks?