Russian weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov has unveiled a sleek electric concept car that its creators say will compete with Elon Musk's market leader Tesla.
Based on the body of a Soviet hatchback Izh, Kalashnikov's CV-1 electric vehicle's 90 kilowatt hour battery gives it a range of 350 kilometers. The arms company says the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 6 seconds.
The brand, best known for the AK-47 machine gun, on Thursday presented the retro-looking pale blue prototype, the CV-1 at a defence expo outside Moscow.
Earlier this week, online users ridiculed Kalashnikov's new bipedal combat robot. The golden-colour machine, reportedly named "Igoryok" in production stages, immediately became a subject of social media memes.
Is the car going to be a threat to troubled Tesla?
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Submitted via IRC for SoyCow4408
Kalashnikov Concern, a Russian manufacturer known for the AK-47 assault rifle, is thinking pretty big these days when it comes to new defense machines. The company unveiled a concept for a bipedal battle robot this week and all I can think about are the two-legged AT-STs from Star Wars.
The Kalashnikov creation seems to be solidly in the concept realm right now. It looks like its main job is to just stand there and look cool.
It has a couple of grabby arms and hands reminiscent of the Power Loader suit from Aliens and a large cabin at the top where presumably a human driver would sit to control the machine. It looks a bit top-heavy and not quite as lithe as an AT-ST.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/news/kalashnikov-battle-robot-concept-looks-like-a-star-wars-at-st/
Previous: Kalashnikov Unveils Electric Car Seeking to Dethrone Tesla.
(Score: 2) by datapharmer on Friday August 24 2018, @07:30AM (7 children)
I came, I saw, I laughed. Now I’ll save everyone else the trouble of a comparison. In one word:
No.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by coolgopher on Friday August 24 2018, @07:34AM (2 children)
I would say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but... I chuckled. Then again, if its as reliable and easy to manufacture (and purchase) as an AK-47 it could still become a serious hit.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Unixnut on Friday August 24 2018, @08:42AM
I don't know, I quite like the look of it. It has a retro-futuristic vibe going. I never liked the look of Teslas quite frankly, finding them rather bland and cheap looking.
I don't know what the dashboard of the Kalashnicar looks like, but I hope they don't make it as bad as the dashboard of a Tesla, which basically violates every good practice in car ergonomics, while looking cheap and tacky to boot.
Either way, I hope they build them, the more manufacturers making cars, the more options for people out there, and choice is always good for customers. Although looking at the geopolitical situation in the world, I somehow doubt the Russian cars would be available over here for me to consider them an option.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday August 24 2018, @06:29PM
I would love to rent one for a day, if it looks like that yet can silently smoke all the idiot posers (giant pickups, fakexotics, or souped-up rice burners) at the traffic lights. 6s 0-60 is not quite enough to make them rethink their stupidity, though.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @08:40AM
Even if cost of ownership and repairability for the box on wheels were orders of magnitude more favorable?
(Score: 1) by easyTree on Friday August 24 2018, @02:24PM
I know that in the past our products have been used to murder millions of people but now we're all about saving the world.
(Score: 1) by easyTree on Friday August 24 2018, @02:31PM (1 child)
Cutting edge design from 1965...
(Score: 2) by Snow on Friday August 24 2018, @08:30PM
I think it's beautiful. It looks simple yet quirky.
Everything old is new again. See the new VW electric van?
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @07:31AM (7 children)
the AK-47 is a rifle, not a machine gun.
(Score: 2) by Pino P on Friday August 24 2018, @03:11PM (6 children)
If a rifle is automatic, like the "Automatic Kalashnikov" (AK), the media will call it a machine gun.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @03:55PM (5 children)
And they would be right. For purposes of federal law, a machine gun is defined as:
[A]ny weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manually reloading, by a single function of the trigger.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday August 24 2018, @04:17PM (4 children)
All guns are machines; the idea of "machine gun" is mildly developmentally challenged. A gun (pistol, rifle, Gatling gun, or what have you) can feature automatic fire or not feature it.
Defining a gun as a machine is rather like defining water wet. Defining only certain guns as machines is just not credible.
How does federal law define the cosmological constant? The speed of light? The fine structure constant? How would any of these federal definitions make any difference, either?
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Friday August 24 2018, @05:54PM (3 children)
How does Federal law define a tomato? Fruit or vegetable?
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday August 24 2018, @08:10PM (2 children)
How, indeed?
For those who did not read the question as being rhetorical:
The Federal Tomato Standards [usda.gov] don't mention fruit or vegetable, but the USDA Inspection Instructions For Tomatoes (PDF Warning) [usda.gov], which do not have the rule of law, say in part (page 20) things like, "Abnormally soft and watery fruit are considered very undesirable" and "The appearance and condition of abnormally soft and watery fruit is different than fruit that can be called 'soft.'"
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Friday August 24 2018, @08:45PM (1 child)
I think you missed this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_v._Hedden [wikipedia.org]
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday August 24 2018, @09:08PM
You're right; the Supreme Court is an agency of the Federal government.
Clearly not a knowledgeable one, but one with authority nonetheless.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @08:21AM (4 children)
... they want their car design from the 1980's back.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @08:30AM (3 children)
A design classic. Reliable vehicles, engineered to withstand the Siberian freeze and retro-futurism is still a thing. [honestjohn.co.uk]
(Score: 2) by SemperOSS on Friday August 24 2018, @09:38AM (2 children)
A design classic? I'd rather say a recognizable design. And Lada as a reliable vehicle? No! My uncle had a "classic" Lada and spent every single weekend nursing it, repairing whatever faults had appeared during the week. A lot of people I knew that had Ladas complained about the quality and the high price of spare parts for a car this cheap.
I don't need a signature to draw attention to myself.
Maybe I should add a sarcasm warning now and again?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:42AM
I never remember any problem with them compared to other popular cars of the time. Driving around a council estate on a weekend, every guy had their head buried inside the bonnet of a 5 - 10 year old Capri.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @12:20PM
Had a Lada 1200 ES Estate, ran for years (1976-1989) with only minor tweaks. Original engine fragged (1983) on a long journey due to a major oil leak, replacement engine fitted from a place in Glasgow, the bugger was then capable of reaching 78mph fully loaded...that was scary, and yes the thing handled like a tank...well, more like a tracked bulldozer (for some reason, no-one trusts me in a tank).
Best thing was the winters, starting first time in the morning with no problem, climbing iced up hilly roads with ease that the local 4WD brigade had issues with, towing the Volvo out of sticky situations..my sister always swore old Ivan (yes, we named the bugger) was happier in the winter as he thought he was back in Siberia.
Scrapped back in the late 80's, not through any mechanical issues, just we'd no space to keep him and no-one wanted to buy him. (Still have a number of the tools from the toolkit in regular use though.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @08:30AM (1 child)
Coffin on wheel.
(Score: 3, Informative) by MostCynical on Friday August 24 2018, @09:11AM
Quite!
https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DatoQc565xzo [youtube.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Friday August 24 2018, @08:41AM (2 children)
I sooo want this car! I've always wanted to buy a Soviet-era car for shits and giggles, and I've been wanting an electric car for quite some time also. This is both. Brilliant!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @09:37AM (1 child)
Only need to paint it Ferrari red and put a yellow sickle and hammer on the hood.
I used to know a person who drove exactly such Lada 20 years ago.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @05:56PM
don't drive it through austin, tx. you'll get jacked by spoiled, retarded posers
(Score: 2) by Bot on Friday August 24 2018, @09:04AM
kalashnikov is basically a russian icon, they could not have retrofitted a foreign car.
If I could pick, I'd retrofit an NSU Prinz or a Bianchina. It would be fun with the torque of an electric motor at the lights.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by SemperOSS on Friday August 24 2018, @10:05AM (3 children)
I find it interesting to see the difference between this Russian concept car and American concept cars.
This car is unapologetically retro styled, unfortunately not with positive connotations for most Western people, I gather. Look at the shape of the car, the moveable cover for the fresh air intake just under the windscreen, the gasket mounting of the windscreen in stead of glued on, and the mounting of the wipers (not hidden). Lousy aerodynamics, I'm sure, and it all screams old, old, old.
As I remember, the American concept cars are often futuristic, sometimes to a fault, but integrate modern design principles and extrapolate them into a possible future. Try to compare the Kalashnikov to this [hemmings.com] GM concept from 26 years ago.
I think Kalashnikov have just redefined retro-futuristic.
I don't need a signature to draw attention to myself.
Maybe I should add a sarcasm warning now and again?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Dr Spin on Friday August 24 2018, @02:06PM (2 children)
and it all screams repairable
FTFY.
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @03:30PM (1 child)
Old style door handles too, photos here,
https://en.kalashnikov.media/photo/technology/kontsept-elektricheskogo-superkara-cv-1 [en.kalashnikov.media]
...sticking out in the airstream and requiring a thumb-press on the button at the same time as a finger-pull to open the door. If their chrome process is any good, these might last awhile, but I really prefer the look and ergonomics of modern lift-pull recessed handles.
Meanwhile, they've given lip service to styling prototypes everywhere, with nearly zero clearance between tires and fenders, this thing is much lower than any useful street car. Imagine it raised up to a normal height and it won't look so cool.
The overall exterior package shape reminded me of the Chevy Malibu Maxx -- a station wagon with a little "trunk bump" at the rear to avoid the current stigma about wagons.
(personally, I'm a big wagon fan and have not yet fallen into the SUV trap)
(Score: 3, Informative) by istartedi on Friday August 24 2018, @07:30PM
Car aerodynamics is notoriously counter-intuitive. This Maserati [wikipedia.org] is worse than this old Tatra [wikipedia.org] according to this list. [wikipedia.org]. I read somewhere that the first engineer to wind-tunnel test cars discovered that a "sleek design" actually had a better Cd going backwards than forwards. That said, all else being equal it's probably better not to have door-handles sticking out; but it might not be as big a factor as we think.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @11:39AM (6 children)
This "sleek" car may not look fancy, or be very luxurious, but it may be completely functional. Based on it's lack of digital ornaments it may actually be better on batter life than Tesla's, which is adorned with all sorts of futuristic technology.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by aim on Friday August 24 2018, @12:05PM (2 children)
Quite. I think this might be the GNU/Linux of cars, vs. Tesla and others as the Windows 10 with telemetry, self-driving etc. I.e. a car for tinkerers, where only the powertrain is really electrified, not everything digitized and DRM'ed etc.
Personally, I sort of like the retro look here - the basis is not of a sports car as is often the case here in the west (think the newly built Aston Martin DB5s), but an actually practical car. And, most of all, it's not yet another SUV.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @02:26PM (1 child)
Quite. I think this might be the GNU/Linux of cars,
Nice way to try and market to Free Software fans. Next you'll try to talk us all into buying old East German Trabis. Which might make sense, as we can always replace a dying motor with one from the push mower in the garage.
I'd take a Tesla over this bucket of bolts any day of the week, with the added bonus of not pumping money into Putin's kleptocracy.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday August 24 2018, @04:24PM
Teslas's cars, while containing some free software (which they persistently refuse to release the source code for in violation of the licenses under which they received said software), use that software to support their proprietary software stack that operates their DRM and forced-updates.
If that's what you want, you aren't a free software fan. You don't speak for us.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Whoever on Friday August 24 2018, @02:46PM (2 children)
Really, laughing out loud here.
Parent post is marked as "insightful" for thinking a car that obviously has terrible aerodynamics might actually have better battery life [I assume poster really means range] than a Tesla.
Get a grip folks.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @04:04PM
Eh?, for 'normal' driving speeds in urban areas (and the typical stop-start-stop-start-stop-arrrgh! driving pattern) your 'terrible aerodynamics' become mostly irrelevant for fuel efficiency/battery life.
Having once navigated through London traffic for two hours in a car capable of doing over 168mph but at best hitting 30mph I can tell you it's aerodynamics didn't help fuel efficiency in that situation.
We don't all travel down super highways basking in the bright familiar sun..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @04:13PM
No sure aerodynamics matter too much at the speed this car reach. On the other hand they have a wide interior.
Nevertheless, I agree its aesthetics is horrible. I suppose, as someone said, in Russia such retro-look may look the top of style. If they have an efficient engine, it could be installed in other chassis.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @12:46PM (1 child)
I'm all in and ready to collude; I'll take a car, a mech and an AK-47!
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday August 24 2018, @05:48PM
I think you hit the 'post anonymously' box by accident there, Donald.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday August 24 2018, @01:49PM
It reminds me of a Trabant. That made me recall and smile at all the old West German jokes about that car.
Well, some will like the design. "Comrade Detective" (brilliant show, BTW) has helped make Iron Curtain fashion chic again, so who knows? Maybe Kalashnikov is on to something here.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday August 24 2018, @03:42PM
Looks like half wanna-be muscle car, half grandmas diaper.
But if cheap I might hit that!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday August 24 2018, @04:07PM
After Volkswagen et al. demonstrated that it's feasible to game your numbers, I'll believe that this Russian thing is the New Hotness sexier-than-Tesla thing when some third party (or preferably multiple) verify their numbers.
Talk is cheap
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"