CATERHAM'S STUNNING PROJECT V SHOWS AT TOKYO AUTO SALON - PRODUCTION IMMINENT.
Caterham has never been about following trends. It has spent decades cheerfully ignoring them while perfecting one thing: the art of unfiltered driving joy. So when the British brand, now Japanese-owned but still unmistakably Caterham, rocks up to Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 with an all-electric sports car that looks nothing like a Seven, you pay attention. This is Project V, and it’s Caterham’s boldest pivot since… well, since Caterham became Caterham. First revealed as a concept at Goodwood in 2023, Project V was Caterham’s answer to the awkward question every lightweight sports car brand eventually has to face: what happens when petrol bows out? The answer, it turns out, is not to build an electric Seven, but to rethink the idea of a Caterham from first principles while protecting its core DNA: PURE. SIMPLE. FUN.
Now, the latest prototype has been unveiled in Tokyo, and this one matters. Unlike the earlier concept, this version is engineered with mass production firmly in mind, sitting much closer to the final car that customers could actually buy. Test drives are already underway, with prototype development scheduled to wrap up in 2026. This is no static design exercise - Project V is happening.
The exterior and interior design comes courtesy of Anthony Jannarelly, a man who lives Caterham’s philosophy - he’s a Seven owner, and it shows. The front end subtly references the Seven’s iconic nose cone, distilled into a clean, modern face that avoids retro cosplay. Regulatory tweaks, such as revised rear light clusters for global compliance, have been carefully integrated without diluting the original design. This still looks like the car Caterham wanted to build, not one compromised by legislation.
Inside, the cabin continues that delicate balancing act. A flat-panel dashboard nods to the Seven, now paired with a circular digital display that blends old-school atmosphere with modern clarity. One major change is the move from a three-seat layout to a more conventional 2+2 configuration. Purists may twitch, but the logic is sound. This makes Project V more usable, more versatile, and genuinely capable of light grand touring, all without bloating the car or betraying its purpose.
Under the skin, Project V reads like a greatest-hits list of smart engineering partners. The e-axle has been developed specifically for Project V by Yamaha Motor, integrating the motor, inverter, and gearbox into a compact, efficient unit. Caterham is the first announced customer. The battery tech is just as interesting. Project V uses XING Mobility’s IMMERSIO Cell-to-Pack system, a liquid-immersed cooling solution that submerges battery cells directly in a conductive coolant. The result is rapid, uniform thermal management, improved safety, and consistent performance even under sustained hard driving. Project V uses a tubular steel spaceframe, a Caterham staple since day one, and a structure shared philosophically with the Seven itself. The EV packaging has been carefully integrated into this framework, taking advantage of the low centre of gravity inherent to electric cars while preserving the simple, flexible architecture Caterham knows inside out. The result promises direct handling, cohesive dynamics, and that elusive sense of connection Caterham has always championed, even as the power source changes.
If Project V makes it to production as planned, it won’t just be a new chapter for Caterham. It could become a blueprint for how small, enthusiast-focused brands survive electrification without losing their identity.
Take a look at the YouTube video from two years back. Yeah, that title is odd because we're still waiting for it, but I guess production and concept is way different: Caterham Project V | The Wait Is Over. | Caterham
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