Caterham Cars set to conquer Asia; launches AeroSeven Concept during Singapore Grand Prix

Caterham Cars may not be as recognizable in Asia today as it is in its hometown. But the British car company, which has been producing impressively lightweight sports cars for over half a century, is set to be a more visible brand in the region—in and out of the racing world.

The car company, which has mostly survived with a single car model for decades, plans to churn out at least three new models in the next five years. Led by its new owner, Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes (who acquired the brand in April 2011), Caterham Cars is ready to bring its British heritage and spirit of innovation to a wider audience.

“British engineering is revered all over the world. Without running away from Caterham’s British roots, we’ll be producing more models that would make the brand more affordable and more accessible,” said Fernandes during a roundtable discussion in Singapore with select media from the ASEAN (this writer is the only reporter from the Philippines) region and the UK.

Fernandes, the man responsible for turning Air Asia into a profitable budget airline, was in the Asian country to launch Caterham Cars' first concept car in years on the sidelines of the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix last week.

The F1 race would be hugely instrumental in introducing Caterham Cars to people's consciousness, he said. This makes sense as Caterham Cars is now under the global platform of the Caterham Group, which incorporates the Caterham F1, Caterham Technology and Innovation, Caterham Composites and Caterham Racing—the racing and driver development arm of the business.

“I'm very excited with the future of Caterham Cars. The level of talent and passion of the people behind the brand is exceptional. But words are easy so I'd rather deliver,” said Fernandes, who sits as chairman of the Caterham Group.

And deliver he did.

On the sidelines of the Grand Prix, Fernandes led his team in unveiling the AeroSeven Concept car—an exciting new performance concept car and the first model that was designed with significant input from all of the various arms of the Caterham Group.

The AeroSeven Concept, bathed in the brand's signature dark green color, signals the brand’s intentions to showcase its styling direction, expertise in product engineering and speed to market.

The AeroSeven Concept, which draws heavily on methods used by the F1 team, will be the first ever Caterham model to be fitted with a newly developed, fully-adjustable Caterham Engine Management System.

The carbon-fiber bodied concept vehicle, which will reach 100kph (62.5mph) in under 4 seconds, will initially draw its power from the normally-aspirated, EU6-approved, 240ps (237bhp) engine developed by Caterham Technology & Innovation. 

The AeroSeven Concept is stacked with race car-inspired features, including aerodynamic styling, an exclusive steering wheel with driver-focused functionality, and an intuitive fully active Graphical Display Unit (GDU).

“When it comes to power-to-ratio (300 horsepower over 500 kilos) measure, the AeroSeven Concept is one of the most powerful in the world. During tests, it has gone up to 150 miles per hour,” Graham Macdonald, managing director of Caterham Cars, told Inquirer Motoring.

Though there are no firm dates of release for the AeroSeven, Macdonald said the car would be ready in the next 12 months. The executives declined to give a price point for now.

While the AeroSeven is every bit a Caterham car, it's in its full bodywork styling that the most striking differences to past Caterham products lies—it's more modern, more sleek and, frankly, much sexier.

“It's a car for passionate drivers. Admittedly, we may not have given enough attention and focus before, but with Tony's leadership, not anymore,” Macdonald said.

Today, Caterham Cars sell some 500 units around the world, mostly orders from the UK, France, and Japan. That number includes some 70 units in Asia (not including Japan). But with the AeroSpace, that number is expected to spike exponentially.

AeroSpace's stunning design of the two-seater balances function and form to increase downforce while vastly improving the drag coefficient. The new body shape also imparts subtly different handling characteristics to complement the revised chassis. The car sits on Avon’s acclaimed motorsports-inspired performance CR500 tires.

Caterham Cars has come a long way, especially since it was acquired by Fernandes some two years ago.

It must be noted that Fernandes has high regard for Caterham's basic philosophy of placing the driver firmly at the heart of the experience. And though the brand will expectedly continue evolve, it is this value that will remain embedded in all future endeavors.

“I really wanted a car that has a roof,” Fernandes said in jest. “But I guess it's not happening with this one.”

Many things have changed but the vision remains clear: to extend Caterham's exceptional landmark through careful product development and growth, while remaining true to the Caterham philosophy for pure, unadulterated fun within reach of the everyday enthusiast.

Fernandes said: “We'll bring the Caterham Cars to a new place, a new level. Its British-ness is key to keeping it alive and we'll keep that front and center.”