Aehra is Italy’s first all-electric luxury car brand. We preview its forthcoming SUV
Aehra’s proposed electric SUV is brimming with cutting-edge technology. The Italian company hopes to shake up the high-end EV market in 2025
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

The coupé SUV is an oxymoronic niche that remains inexplicably popular. Brought to prominence by cars like the BMW X6 and Porsche Cayenne Coupé, you’ll find fastback versions of standard SUVs across all spectrums of the market. By creating a sloping rear roofline, designers were deliberately sacrificing practicality for style. Car buyers went for it in droves.
Enter the Aehra electric SUV
Aehra’s forthcoming electric SUV takes this awkward premise and somehow makes it good, thanks in part to the flexibility its EV platform and an ultra-long 3m wheelbase (allowing it to accommodate ‘four full-size NBA players’, no less). Pitched at the ‘ultra-premium’ market, the Italian company was co-founded by Sandro Andreotti and Hazim Nada, both keen aviation fans, as the country’s first all-electric car brand.
The SUV proudly bears the Italian flag
The car the Aehra brings to mind is Spyker’s ill-fated D8 model, the so-called ‘Paris to Peking’ concept. Shown all the way back in 2006, the D8 was one of the first ultra-luxury SUV concepts, created by the on-again/off-again Dutch company to accompany its successful mid-engined supercars. Spyker (which took the name of a 19th-century carriage builder) disappeared in 2014, only to resurface in early 2022, apparently supported by Russian money. As a result, one can only assume it has disappeared once again.
The Aehra SUV features rear-view cameras instead of wing mirrors
Aehra has nothing whatsoever to do with its Dutch predecessor, apart from a shared sense of drama. The newcomer still has a few years to go before its cars reach buyers – 2025 is a suggested delivery date – but on the basis of these renders, this debut electric SUV will certainly be desirable. In addition to the lozenge-like exterior, the interior promises a number of configurations, including home theatre, lounge and meeting room modes.
A vast, tilting screen transforms the SUV's interior
These arrangements are made possible by a vast monitor that spans the width of the dashboard and extends up to cover the windscreen when the car is parked. On the move, it folds down to form the driver information screen, as well as show images from the rear-view cameras. Aehra’s chief design officer Fillippo Perini has also announced that the SUV will be followed by a sedan concept in a few months’ time.
Other key design components are the yoke-like steering wheel (a style recently deployed by Tesla) and four gull-wing doors that provide graceful access to the spacious interior. Aehra still has a long way to go before it can call itself a true competitor, but the SUV design shows the company’s ambition is underpinned by true style.
AEHRA.com (opens in new tab)
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Venice Biennale 2024: a guide to the artists announced so far
Keep up-to-date with our ongoing list of who’s representing who at the Venice Biennale 2024 – here's what we know so far
By Martha Elliott • Published
-
New Nike book is an inspirational handbook for the next generation of creatives and athletes
New Nike book, ‘After all, there is No Finish Line’, features eye-catching black-and-white imagery and speculative fiction and essays that ponder design, innovation and sport
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Sophie Bille Brahe interprets the signet ring with a new initials jewellery
Sophie Bille Brahe’s new initials jewellery is ‘a personal way to express an eternal feeling of love’
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published
-
Candy-coloured BMW i Vision Dee is a compact concept swathed in an E Ink skin
BMW i goes full colour with its bold new concept car, combining E Ink exterior paint with minimal trim and a direct connection to the digital world
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Everrati announces a transformed, all-electric Range Rover Classic and Land Rover Defender
British company Everrati now transforms the iconic Range Rover Classic and Land Rover Defender into high-end, go-anywhere electric vehicles
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Cupra Born: new arrival is one of the best compact EVs on the market
The new Cupra Born embodies characterful design and the spirited zip of electric driving
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Two new electric off-roaders – Munro Mk1 and Fering Pioneer – embody the spirit of adventure in sharp-edged, minimal suits
The Munro Mk1 and Fering Pioneer are designed to go anywhere, electrically. We check out the next generation of utility vehicles
By Jonathan Bell • Last updated
-
Kia Niro EV combines quiet competence with engaging modern design
The Kia Niro EV sets a new standard for compact electric cars, with sophisticated design, impressive range and plenty of equipment
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Revived cult classic all-electric Moke makes it to the States
An all-new electric version of the original Mini Moke harks back to its roots with a limited-edition Californian model
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Volvo EX90 brings electrification to the upper end of the Volvo range
A full-sized seven-seater, the all-new Volvo EX90 is the Swedish company’s safest and most sophisticated SUV to date
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Piip is a playful electric car designed by artist Harald Thys
Piip by Harald Thys and Lowie Vermeersch is a speculative project for a friendly electric family car, presented at the Maniera Gallery in Brussels
By Jonathan Bell • Published