Caterham is bringing its first modern electric sports car to the United States, and it is not shy about the target. The compact Project V coupe is being positioned directly against Porsche’s next wave of battery-powered two-seaters, promising a lighter, purist alternative at a time when many EVs are getting heavier and more complex. For American drivers who still care more about steering feel than screen size, the move signals that the analog sports car is not ready to fade quietly into history.
A minimalist EV aimed squarely at Porsche loyalists
The Project V is Caterham’s attempt to translate its long-standing obsession with lightness into the electric era, rather than building another high-riding crossover. The company’s own description of Project V emphasizes a compact, low-slung sports car that keeps the cabin and bodywork simple so the focus stays on driving. That philosophy is a deliberate contrast to the tech-laden approach that has defined many premium EVs, including the German brands Caterham now wants to confront on their home turf of driver-focused coupes.
Price is the first signal that this is meant to be cross-shopped with Stuttgart’s finest. Reporting on $130,000 as the target figure puts the car squarely in the same financial neighborhood as a well-optioned 911 or the upcoming electric 718, not in the bargain-bin kit-car space where some still mentally file Caterham. Coverage describing Caterham’s New $130,000 Electric Sports Car Is Coming to America to Challenge Porsche makes the intent explicit, framing the car as a direct rival rather than a quirky sideshow. The message to buyers is clear: this is meant to be a serious alternative to a traditional German sports car, not just a novelty EV.
From Tokyo to Vegas, a global stage for a niche challenger
Caterham is rolling out Project V with a carefully staged global tour that underscores how important the U.S. and Asia are to its electric ambitions. The company has said that the working Project V prototype would be unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, a venue that puts the car in front of some of the world’s most hardcore tuning and performance fans. That choice signals Caterham’s confidence that its minimalist EV can stand up in a hall filled with heavily modified combustion icons and cutting-edge Japanese engineering.
The brand is also leaning into high-visibility tech and lifestyle events to reach American buyers who may know Porsche but not Caterham. Social posts tagged “From the cutting-edge tech in Vegas to the engineering heart of Tokyo” frame Project V as a bridge between Silicon Valley gadget culture and traditional car enthusiasm. Another post that opens with “Move Over Porsche” and notes that Caterham’s Electric Project V Hits the U.S. Swipe positions the car directly against the upcoming electric Porsche 718 in the social media arena where brand perception is increasingly shaped.
Purist engineering, patient timing, and the 2027 U.S. launch
Underneath the marketing, Caterham is trying to solve a real engineering puzzle: how to make an EV feel as alive as its featherweight gasoline cars. Video walk-throughs of Caterham’s Project V Electric Sports Car highlight a battery design where cells are immersed in a special cooling liquid, a choice aimed at keeping weight and thermal management under tighter control than in many mainstream EVs. The same footage, shared in Dec, stresses that the company is not chasing headline-grabbing range figures so much as repeatable performance and a chassis that still feels playful on a back road.
That focus on fundamentals is paired with a deliberately slow ramp to production. Commentary in Dec on Caterham’s Project V Electric Sports Car Is Almost Here! notes that Cataram has not fully locked in whether the final production car will match every specification shown on the concept, a reminder that the brand is still refining the recipe. Separate reporting confirms that the working prototype is only the first step and that customer cars will not appear before 2027, with the company making clear that the Project V will not reach showrooms overnight.
For U.S. enthusiasts, that 2027 horizon is both a wait and an opportunity. Coverage describing how The Caterham representative told Car and Driver that the Project V is aimed at sports car fans who are waiting for a more purist electric option suggests the brand is betting that patience will pay off. By the time the car arrives in America, the electric Porsche 718 and other rivals should be on the road, giving buyers a direct comparison between heavyweight, highly connected machines and a lighter, more analog alternative. If Caterham can deliver on its promise of a focused driver’s car at $130,000, the U.S. sports car market may finally see a genuine EV duel that is about feel, not just figures.
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