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Alieno Arcanum: Bulgaria’s 3850kW hypercar – UPDATE

The off-the-plan hypercar – which does not yet exist – can be reserved for a cool $2.45 million in Australia.


UPDATE, 16 September 2021: Alieno claims to have begun construction of its “high-tech” hypercar manufacturing facility, in the Bulgarian village of Tuhovishta.

A video posted to YouTube this week – titled “Current View of the Southern Part of the factory” – shows a plateau of levelled earth, and a pile of cleared debris. However no foundations, structural mortar, or construction equipment can be seen.

It’s unclear what the facility will ultimately look like, who is building it, or when it will be completed.

However, Ahmed Merchev – who is the founder of Alieno – insists the company is still on track to deliver cars in early 2022.

“We are ready to start the production immediately in the presence of a confirmed order or capital from an external investor to financially secure the rest of this process,” Mr Merchev told Drive earlier this year. “We have overcome all technical difficulties and are already accepting pre-orders.”

"My favourite supercar is still [the] Lamborghini Aventador in sky blue colour – if Lamborghini had a version of it with an all-electric drive system and the latest technologies ... I would just buy it! But they did not, and their technological progress at that time, in my personal opinion, was at the speed of a turtle … so Alieno was born.”

While several impressive renders of the Arcanum are available online, there is no evidence the company has ever built or tested a functional a car. The story below is unchanged.


15 October 2020: Alieno – a near-unheard-of technology company based in the tiny Bulgarian village of Slashten – claims it is set to launch a 3840kW/8880Nm electric hypercar, named the Arcanum.

What’s more, the company is now taking preorders for the vehicle and says cars can be delivered in as little as 18 months.

With a purported top speed of 488km/h and a claimed range of 1020km, the top spec RP5 variant can be secured in Europe for €1.5 million (approximately AU$2.45 million) – an astronomical sum considering no examples have yet been built, and there is absolutely no evidence to suggest the performance claims are possible with current battery technology.

Power will supposedly be sent to all four wheels via 24 individual electric motors (six on each corner of the car), while the suspension, brakes, active aerodynamics, air conditioning system, seats, and mirrors will be controlled autonomously.

In a continuation of implausible claims made to potential buyers and investors, the manufacturer also states that its 60kWh race battery pack can be charged from zero to 100 per cent in just 10 minutes.

If accurate – and that’s a big if – these specs would make the Arcanum the most powerful, efficient, fast, and technologically advanced production vehicle ever built.

The newest renders of the car show the interior covered with at least nine screens and, oddly for a hypercar, dual cup holders on the centre console.

The exterior looks suspiciously like a Lamborghini, however the designers claim this aesthetic was inspired by the "animal kingdom", "sharks", and "special aircrafts [sic] like F-117 Night Hawk, F-22 Raptor and SR-71 Blackbird."

William Davis

William Davis has written for Drive since July 2020, covering news and current affairs in the automotive industry. He has maintained a primary focus on industry trends, autonomous technology, electric vehicle regulations, and local environmental policy. As the newest addition to the Drive team, William was brought onboard for his attention to detail, writing skills, and strong work ethic. Despite writing for a diverse range of outlets – including the Australian Financial Review, Robb Report, and Property Observer – since completing his media degree at Macquarie University, William has always had a passion for cars.

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