Why the new Dreame EV is a nightmare for luxury car-makers: Chinese vacuum maker unveils first two gob-smacking – but familiar-looking – models
The Chinese vacuum maker Dreame Technology has now revealed the first two electric vehicles with which it plans to take on the cream of the world’s luxury car makers.
And there’s some familiarity about the way they look.
The four-door hypercar (below) revealed first apes the looks of the Bugatti Chiron, while a more-recent SUV (pictured top) is unmistakably similar to a Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
What won’t be similar will be Dreame’s advanced EV tech both cars will employ and much lower prices.
The SUV is intended to be launched in 2027, Dreame says.
Thought to be sold via its new business, Starry Automotive, Dreame’s new SUV comes with a 3200mm wheelbase, rear-hinged doors, imposing upright chrome grille, large dished alloy wheels, b-pillarless doors and flush door handles.
Within there are two reclining captain chairs and a large centre console that stretches from the front to the rear of the leather-lined cabin.
The SUV is powered by a 100kWh battery that uses the firm’s latest cell-to-pack tech, while a second range-extender hybrid powertrain will also be offered.
There’s no word on power, but the Cullinan tribute will come with four motors, and rear-wheel steering that will bless it with a small car turning circle.
New tech includes a height-adjustable active suspension, as well as the EV start-up’s latest driver assist tech that includes Lidars, cameras and radars.
The Chiron tribute arrived less than a month before the SUV. At that time Dreame announced it was still on track to launch the “world’s fastest car” by 2027. It is expected to be sold through a separate business unit called Dreame Automotive.
Believed to be targeting a top speed of more than 500km/h, Dreame Technology founder Yu Hao has confirmed a physical prototype of the inbound Bugatti clone will star at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.
Inside, there’s a two-spoke steering wheel, a large infotainment screen plus a digital instrument cluster that packages an additional screen within the broad centre console.
Instead of majoring on luxury, it looks like there has been a focus on keeping weight to an absolute minimum to boost outright performance.
Speaking of which, since the Dreame EV hypercar was announced, the brand’s aim of rolling out the world’s fastest car has suddenly become a lot tougher because BYD’s YangWang U9 Xtreme has clocked an incredible 496.22km/h at a proving ground in Germany.
The race is now on from both traditional combustion-powered car-makers and YangWang to produce the world’s first road car capable of exceeding 500km/h.
For Dreame to have a success in this contest, expect engineers to have developed a powertrain capable of producing more than 2000kW, with a high-output 1200V electrics system, plus an advanced battery capable of supplying enough current to feed the e-motors.
Giving it the edge on rivals, Dreame also uses its own high-speed digital motor technology.
Capable of spinning up to 200,000rpm, more than ten times the speed of Tesla’s latest Performance 4DU e-motor (18,000rpm) in the Model Y Performance, the Dreame’s tech is not theoretical but already in use in the company’s flagship Z50 Station vacuum cleaner.
The e-motor’s ability to spin so high not only means the next-gen e-motor should be lighter and more power-dense compared to existing tech, but also allow it to reach far higher speeds without the need for a two-speed transmission.
When it arrives, the Dreame hypercar will also introduce the firm’s latest AI technology that will include an ‘AI companion’.
It will learn and adapt to the driver’s habits, preferences and even emotional states.
Finally, the wild new battery-powered hypercar will offer full integration with the owner’s mobile devices and smart home.
Dreame has already reportedly hired more than 1000 engineers and designers, including some from traditional established car-makers to develop the vehicle.
Reports suggest Dreame is working to secure a European manufacturing hub near Berlin, Germany, that is located close to Tesla’s Gigafactory.
Helping it expand rapidly within Europe, the Chinese EV start-up has partnered with French banking giant BNP Paribas.
Following in the tyre tracks of smartphone-maker Xiaomi that builds both the SU7 sedan and new YU7 SUV, Dreame Technology is just the latest electronics giant keen to replicate domestic appliances success with car-making.
