Motive Industries unveils Kestrel EV concept

By George on September 23rd, 2010

motive-industries-kestrel-concept The Kestrel is a 4 passenger electric car designed to appeal to the city driver, who for the most part is traveling alone or with one other passenger. Part of the design criteria was to make a compact city vehicle while not compromising interior space.

A unique feature on the car is the location of the front wheels making it a very cab forward design. The engineering team made this possible by having the doors forward shut line open right up into the wheel well, creating ingress/egress without compromise. The very cab forward profile and compact front end make it easy to maneuver in tight traffic.

VP Design, Darren McKeage states “To design a vehicle with presence I often look to how nature visually communicates a purpose in its purist form. For the Kestrel I wanted to create an image of athleticism and robustness to stand out against a sea of large sedans and SUV’s. I was influenced by animals like grey hounds and sharks that have these barrel chests and narrow waists that communicate strength. I’ve captured that in the design through the wheel arches and upswept form in the rocker area. These features also accentuate the wheels helping create a planted stance.”