After countless false starts and false promises, Faraday Future claims that production line is rolling.
Photo from CFP
By LIU Zeran
After several years of delay, the FF 91 Futurist, the first model by wannabe EV maker Faraday Future, has made it to the assembly line for production, the company said on Wednesday.
Production began just a few weeks after Faraday Future secured the US$135 million needed to start the wheels turning, following a fresh investment round.
The FF 91 Futurist Alliance, in a limited edition of 3,000, is priced at US$309,000 (2.2 million yuan), while run-of-the-mill FF 91s to be will be priced at US$249,000 if they are ever made.
That’s a much bigger price tag than anything hanging on the EVs that Maybach and Tesla have to offer.
The prototype FF 91 Futurist appeared in 2017 and with production set for 2018. But the company founded by infamous entrepreneur JIA Yueting then went through wholesale management changes, numerous delisting warnings and the pandemic, which delayed the production so many times that people started to think there would never be a real FF car at all and indeed, can’t wait to see one.
“People thought we were insane, and we are actually near insane,” said Jia during a live streaming launch event. “It’s been nine years since I started all this.”
In 2017, Faraday Future claimed to have received over 64,000 -orders within 36 hours, but how many resulted in actual payments, has never been disclosed. According to recently leaked data, Faraday Future has 14,000 unpaid orders and 401 paid reservations.
The FF 91 Futurist packs a peak horsepower of 1050 from its three electric motors, a 130 kWh battery, a range of 381 miles (800 kilometers), supporting 200 kW fast charging, and 0 to 60 mph in just 2.27 seconds, faster than Tesla’s Model X.
The intelligent cockpit has developed a lot since 2017. The vehicle will come with a 27-inch rear screen, claimed to be the biggest in-car display in the world. Three 5G antennas allow in-car live streaming.
