“Caterham Powered by Yamaha Motor.”
Yamaha has a long history of working with car manufacturers, and also supplied F1 engines throughout the 1990s, so their new collaboration with Caterham EVo Limited, a UK-based subsidiary of VT Holdings Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture), for a new electric sports coupé comes as no real surprise.
Project V is a development project for an electric sports coupé that inherits Caterham’s DNA, which prioritises driving pleasure with the principles of light-weight, simple and fun-to-drive.
Caterham initially unveiled the concept car Project V at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK in July 2023 and later at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2024.
Currently, in collaboration with Tokyo R&D Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, hereafter referred to as Tokyo R&D), they are progressing with the development and production of a prototype vehicle, targeting completion around mid-2025, with a view toward mass production and commercialisation.
Yamaha is independently developing the e-axle, a key component of the electric powertrain, and will supply its trial model for the Project V prototype.
In terms of vehicle motion control, Yamaha will also provide the technologies and expertise, aiming to realise “Caterham Powered by Yamaha Motor.”
Yamaha is engaged in the development of advanced small and lightweight electric powertrains. In March 2024, Yamaha announced its entry as a developer and supplier of high-performance electric powertrains into the Formula E World Championship.
