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Meet Singapore’s first electric supercar, the Vanda Dendrobium

SINGAPORE — After wowing the crowds at the Geneva Motor Show and Top Marques in Monaco, the Vanda Dendrobium has arrived in the country where it was conceived and designed.

SINGAPORE — After wowing the crowds at the Geneva Motor Show and Top Marques in Monaco, the Vanda Dendrobium has arrived in the country where it was conceived and designed.

Named after a species of orchid native to this country, the stunning electric supercar is the brainchild of Singapore-based Vanda Electrics.

The car was unveiled in the Republic this week, with Vanda Electric’s CEO Larissa Tan announcing that VinCar, one of Singapore’s biggest parallel importers, will be its official dealer for Asia.

The Dendrobium resembles its floral namesake blooming when its rear-hinged doors and roof panel opens synchronously — an innovation said to be a world first.

The move towards electrified motoring has given start-ups such as Vanda Electrics an opportunity to join a new world of carmakers that include the likes of say, Tesla, or even Rimac, another supercar company based in Croatia.

“This is a test of the automotive industry,” said Vanda Electric’s Tan. “We want to show the world what Singapore is capable of.”

Although the Dendrobium was conceptualised in Singapore, Williams Advanced Engineering — a division of the Williams F1 Team — did the technical and engineering development for the vehicle.

With experience gained from pioneering the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) used in Formula One cars, as well as being the sole battery supplier for the Formula E electric car racing series, Williams Advanced Engineering developed a supercar capable of reaching over 320kmh and accelerating from rest to 100kmh in around 2.8 seconds.

But keep your wallets in your pockets for the moment.

The Dendrobium is only set to go on sale by 2020.

It is expected to be priced anywhere between “two to three million euros”, depending on the production run.

According the VinCar, that figure could drop to as low as €1.5 million (S$2.4 million) if its production exceeds 100 units. Sheldon Trollope

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