Kalashnikov unveils electric car prototype with a retro Soviet-era body

Russian arms manufacturer Kalashnikov has developed a new electric  powertrain for vehicles, and it's now presenting the system with a new concept car, called the CV-1. Amazingly, the electric vehicle has been built using the body shell of a classic Soviet car, the IZh combi. Somewhat modified, the five-door retro sportback still retains the shape of the 1960-1970s car it is based on.

Underneath the sky blue paint is a drivetrain reportedly good for a range of more than 215 miles and a 0-60-mph time of 6 seconds. It has a 90 kWh battery pack. Useable IZh bodies must still be plentiful in Russia, so it does make sense to base the testbed vehicle on something robust and local — much like the AK-47 assault rifle that made Kalashnikov famous. Since the windows appear to be completely blacked out, we don't expect the concept car to have much of an interior yet.

Kalashnikov is also working on a host of other electrified vehicles, such as a hybrid buggy and an electric motorcycle. But those two pale next to an earlier Kalashnikov development, the 13-foot, 4.5-ton, metal-plated and bullet-proof killer robot that looks to have walked to Russia straight out of Robocop.