To fuel its “explosive growth cycle”, the company will soon be accepting investments.
We are not often updated on Saleen, so this week’s announcement was a surprise. According to the announcement, “big things” are occurring. This includes the promise of an “explosive cycle of growth.” According to the company, “new and exciting visionary products are in development” is one way they describe their agenda.
We don’t know much about the electric supercar, but we do know that one is in the works. You may be familiar with the Salesen S1 (pictured below) at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. The appearance of the two-seater, mid-engined sports car in the official video below suggests that it is still being made.
The S1 was equipped with a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 2.5-liter engine. It was rated at 450 horsepower (336 Kilowatts) as well as 350 pound-feet (474 Newton meters) of torque. The engine was powerful enough to go from 0-60 mph in 3 and 1/2 seconds, and 11.3 seconds for quarter-miles. It then reached 180 mph (290 km/h).
Saleen promised that a six-speed manual transmission would be available along with a dual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Original plan was to produce up to 2,000 cars each year for the United States and Europe. There would also be a substantial number of vehicles for China. Price? $100,000.
You may recall that Saleen Automotive is part Jiangsu Saleen Automotive Technologies Group, a Chinese company. According to the announcement this week, it will soon accept investments from third parties. The minimum investment is $500, but anyone interested in funding the automaker can spend up to $5,000.
Saleen introduced an SUV with 400 horsepower and 331 lbft (450 Nm) in China in July 2019. It also displayed an electric microcar, dubbed Maimai, with a range of 190 miles and 107 horsepower. They shared the stage with an S7 supercar that produced 1,500 horsepower using a twin-turbo, 7.0-liter V8.
Saleen has announced that it will be creating aftermarket parts for the new Ford Bronco in 2020.