Japanese Start-Up Readies Electric Supercar

Japan’s Green Lord Motors (GLM) Ltd. is following up last year’s Tommykaira ZZ electric sports car with an electric supercar.

The company unveiled the new G4 model this week at the Paris auto show. The sleek sedan is based on the conventionally powered Roadyacht GTS concept car built by Savage Rivale, a Dutch niche car and design firm.

The lightweight architecture is made out of composite materials. As with the Roadyacht, the G4 features four gullwing doors.

The Roadyacht was powered by a Corvette V-8, but the G4 uses a pair of electric motors that generate a combined 540 hp and 740 lb-ft of torque. GLM says the powerplant can propel the G4 from zero to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph. Driving range is estimated at 250 miles on the Japanese cycle. GLM says the transmission is a multi-stage system that uses an insulated-gate bipolar transistor semiconductor switch to improve performance.   

The company plans to launch the G4 in Japan at prices expected to start at about $225,000. Sales will spread to Hong Kong, Singapore and possibly the U.S., according to media reports.

The 305-hp Tommykaira ZZ starts at about $70,000. That car has a 75-mile driving range.

GLM was founded by former Sony CEO Nobuyuki Idei. The company, which uses a former Nissan facility as a research and development center, says it has more than 100 technology partners.