Italian start-up Totem Automobili debuts Giulia GT electric concept car

New Italian start-up brand Totem Automobili has revealed its Giulia GT electric concept car.

Totem Automobili was founded in 2018 by Italian native, Riccardo Quaggio.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Quaggio worked as a designer at Honda R&D Europe for seven months, then later as an interior designer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, also for seven months.

The brand's debut concept car, the Totem Giulia electric, applies a restoration-modification (restomod) treatment to an existing 1960s/1970s-era Alfa Romeo Giulia.

It claims its concept car was built from an original chassis, after which only 10 per cent remained.

Extensive modifications include MacPherson front suspension, an independent multi-link rear end, and significant strengthening.

The body has been restyled, and is now predominantly made from carbon fibre. It apparently weighs just 95kg.

The concept car is powered by a 380kW/980Nm electric motor, sourced from Italian brand, 2electron.

It features 2electron's 'McFly' technology, which uses regenerative braking to simulate the presence of a mechanical gearbox, as found with an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE).

As a result, Totem claims it's able to calibrate the "soul of ICE engines" into its Giulia GT electric. Nine exterior speakers are used in conjunction with the technology, which emit replica engine sounds.

The battery pack is a 50.4kW/H item, which the brand says will deliver "about 320km of range at a standard pace".

Whilst the concept car only features single-phase 6.6kW/h charging, Totem Automobili states that the production version will feature 22kW/h onboard fast-charging.

As for when a production car will be ready, the brand does not say.

CarAdvice reached out to Totem Automobili for comment, but it did not respond in time for publishing.

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