The Drako Dragon, An Electric Super SUV: Everything We Know So Far
California-based EV startup Drako Motors recently unveiled its newest creation, the Dragon SUV, the company's second all-electric car. Drako started making noise with the Fisker Karma-based GTE – a four-door, all-electric luxury touring sedan. It has four electric motors (one for each wheel) that collectively pump out 1,200 horsepower and an unbelievable 6,500 lb-ft of torque. It also has a gearbox for each wheel, while the motors sip juice from a standard 90 kWh battery pack to deliver a still-unspecified amount of driving range. Drako has yet to unveil how fast it goes from zero to 60 mph, but the GTE has a top speed of 206 mph (331 kph).
It's critical to be aware of the GTE's powertrain and mind-numbing figures since it'll be similar to what you'll find under the Drako Dragon's curvaceous silhouette. According to Motor Trend, Drako first teased the Dragon in 2019 after the GTE drew accolades (and pre-orders) after debuting at the 2019 Monterey Car Week. Here's everything we know about what could be the world's most powerful SUV, the Drako Dragon.
Drako Dragon: Supercar SUV
Drako's press release couldn't have said it better: "Dragon is taking the electric supercar to new heights of track and street performance and capability." The Dragon is essentially a "significantly redesigned and upgraded" GTE and is the new pinnacle of EV engineering and performance. The Dragon has a similar quad-motor setup to the GTE and will also utilize Drako's proprietary DriveOS algorithm. This software automatically controls each wheel's positive and negative torque to deliver the thrills and telepathic handling of a megabuck racing car. It's the same system utilized in the Drako GTE, which is why the GTE garnered praise during its 2019 debut.
Powered by Drako's in-house battery pack, the Dragon's quad motors could pump out up to 2,000 tire-shredding horsepower, enough to push it to a 200+ mph top speed. In addition, Drako claims zero to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and a quarter-mile run in about nine seconds. For context, the astonishing Cadillac Escalade-V completes the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds.
Italian Styling
The Dragon's eye-catching silhouette is courtesy of Drako chief designer Lowie Vermeersch and his Italy-based GranStudio design team — the same blokes behind the GTE's luscious grand-touring countenance. But unlike the GTE with its conventional four-door layout, the Dragon has gullwing doors (like a Tesla Model X), a roomier five-seat cabin, plenty of luggage and storage space, and generous ground clearance to allow for some mild off-roading action. It'll also come with a three-stage adjustable suspension to ensure a posh yet compliant ride. With all four wheels scratching the ground, we have no doubt the Dragon can go beyond grassy trails and gravel roads.
Drako Motors will reveal more about the Dragon super SUV in the coming months, including trims, equipment, and pricing. Motor Trend adds the Dragon could start at about half the price of a GTE, which is about $700,000 to $800,000, considering a standard Drako GTE begins at around $1.3 million. Moreover, Drako could make 99 examples of the Dragon, more than the 25 allocated build slots for the GTE.