Olympian Motors Is Making Minimalist EVs for Drivers Sick of Screens
When the startup’s first cars go on sale later this year, they’ll have numbered dials, a single knob and zero touch-screens. But profitability is still a question mark.
Olympian Motors will start shipping its Model 01 (left) and Model 84 later this year.
Courtesy of Olympian MotorsWhen Eren Canarslan, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Olympian Motors, removes the car cover from one of his company’s prototypes on a rainy fall day in Brooklyn, the most striking first impression is that it’s, well, cute. The two-door coupe, dubbed the Model 01, has distinctly vintage vibes, with smooth curved lines, swoopy Art Deco finishes and a front end so friendly it seems to smile. It looks more like a set piece from a classic movie than a car you’d take to the McDonald’s Drive Thru.
In an automobile landscape where cars seem to grow ever larger and more visually aggressive, Olympian, whose first vehicles are now available for pre-order, is leaning heavily in the opposite direction. Its cars are designed not to intimidate but to delight, and the company is hoping to both rebrand luxury for drivers and produce an electric vehicle that can turn a profit.