Those familiar with organizations like the Subaru World Rally Team and Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) will know the name Prodrive, but they might not have guessed how far the organization would expand before the decade was out.
Prodrive is globally renowned for building Subaru racing cars driven by the likes of Colin McRae and Australian Chris Atkinson, while more recently creating Tribute to the $900,000 Impreza 22B STI wear name tag P25.
The company also had a long-standing presence in Australia, rebranding Tickford as FPV in 2003, producing factory-backed Falcons to compete with Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) Commodores until 2012 when Ford acquired a majority stake in the company.
Now, Prodrive is looking to expand beyond its performance range by unveiling a small electric truck, which is expected to go into production in 2028.
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Built using technology from Prodrive and designed by British firm Astheimer, the EVOLV concept is described by its creators as “a compact and highly efficient ‘last mile’ electric four-wheel drive vehicle”.
It is the first project from a joint venture between the two brands, ELM Mobility, which aims to bring “last mile electric vehicles” into production in the UK by 2028.
The EVOLV concept can be driven on a standard car driving licence and is 3240mm long, 1450mm wide and 2150mm high, weighing 850kg including the battery – meaning it is light enough to be considered a four-wheel drive vehicle in the UK rather than a car.
It also features two configurable cargo bays with a capacity of up to 4m³. It will be used on UK city streets, with a top speed of 80km/h and a turning radius only slightly larger than a London taxi.
In comparison, the EVOLV concept is significantly shorter than Fiat 500e3631mm long, also the best selling product Toyota HiAce truck length 5265mm.
ELM Mobility next intends to prepare the project for production, with prototypes being trialled by customers over the coming years. The company expects the final vehicle to cost around £25,000 ($48,869).
It’s a far cry from Prodrive’s track record, which includes World Rally Championship wins for Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg in 1995, 2001 and 2003 while driving for the Subaru team.
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Subaru Impreza 555 1993 -
FPV Series 2005
The team also won three consecutive manufacturers’ titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997, with numerous individual podiums thereafter under Atkinson until Subaru discontinued its rally racing programme at the end of 2008.
Locally, Prodrive ran the Ford factory team in V8 Supercars throughout the 2000s, with numerous individual wins for drivers such as Mark Winterbottom, Craig Lowndes and Will Davison during that time.
The company also introduced one of the first ‘super SUVs’ in 2008; a 270kW performance version of the Ford Territory called the F6X.
THAN: Prodrive P25: Reborn Rex revealed ahead of Goodwood debut
