Yahoo Autos $290,000 Drako Dragon EV SUV Packs 2000 Horsepower, Gullwing Doors
The Drako Dragon is the second vehicle from the California-based startup after the GTE electric sedan that was revealed in 2019.
The Dragon has four electric motors with a combined output of 2000 horsepower, and Drako claims a 200-mph top speed and a 9.0-second quarter-mile time.
Behind the gullwing doors are a leather interior and a massive 17.1-inch touchscreen. The Dragon will cost $290,000 when it reaches customers in 2026.
Drako Motors, a startup based in San Jose, California, first teased the Dragon SUV this summer, showing off its dramatic gullwing doors and announcing its wild 2000-horsepower output. The Dragon is Drako's second vehicle after the Fisker Karma-based GTE electric sedan, and the electric super-SUV has now been revealed in full, showing off an athletic design and touting otherworldly performance figures.
The Dragon looks like an Extreme E racer blended with a Lotus Eletre because of its aggressive stance and sloping, coupe-like roofline. The trapezoidal grille shape incorporates both cooling vents and a front wing that boosts range and provides downforce, working in conjunction with flying buttresses that stretch from the roof to the rear haunches. The Dragon's slim LED headlights and taillights are joined by “ultra-bright rally lights integrated into its roof.” The body panels are constructed from sustainable natural fiber composites, decreasing the use of plastics by 70 percent, and wrap around a carbon-fiber chassis.
The gullwing doors are eye-catching but also allow Drako to remove the B-pillar, easing ingress and egress from the rear seats. The cabin is dominated by a 17.1-inch touchscreen, with a smaller digital instrument cluster behind the flat-bottom steering wheel, which holds all of the Dragon's physical buttons. The Dragon also uses cameras in lieu of mirrors, displaying the view on small screens integrated into the dashboard. Screens for the rear passengers are mounted in the leather and carbon-fiber front seats, while a panoramic glass roof sits overhead.
Like the GTE, the Dragon uses four electric motors, one controlling each wheel. With 2000 hp and all-wheel drive, Drako claims the Dragon launches from zero to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, runs the quarter-mile in 9.0 seconds, and reaches a top speed of more than 200 mph. With a curb weight of 4969 pounds, 10-piston front calipers and six-piston rear calipers clamp onto carbon-ceramic brake rotors to slow the Dragon down. Drako also claims the Dragon has 50/50 weight distribution, and the SUV measures 199 inches long and 81 inches wide, a smidge shorter and wider than a Lamborghini Urus. The adaptive suspension allows the Dragon to sit as low as 6.4 inches off the ground but can raise to provide 12.4 inches of clearance in its "Overland" mode.
The battery is apparently designed and built in-house, although Drako doesn't specify how large the pack is. Still, it must be pretty big since Drako is claiming a 420-mile range, and with a maximum charging rate of 500 kW, Drako says the Dragon can charge to 80 percent in 10 minutes. The Dragon also uses a single operating system to control all of the vehicle's functions, from the infotainment to the driver-assistance systems to the battery management and traction control system that permits tank turns like a Rivian R1T.
Drako says the Dragon will be built in the United States, with plans to eventually build 5000 units each year. Deliveries are supposed to begin in 2026, with the Dragon starting at $290,000, and reservations are open now.
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