What Elon Musk can do, I can too. That must have been the thinking of the Russian Alexei Ponomarenko when he started Monarch in March last year. The Russian start-up has the ambition to become an affordable Tesla alternative.
Monarch is a start-up that will focus entirely on the production of electric cars. Founder Alexei Ponomarenko writes that Russia is lagging well behind the rest of the world when it comes to electric cars. Ponomarenko gives the Western European and Chinese markets as examples of markets where EVs are emerging. That must change and it is Monarch that both the Russian consumer “[…] affordable, luxurious and safe “electric cars should help.”
Monarch, which currently claims to have found financial partners in various Russian companies and local governments and even wants to go public in 2022, has undoubtedly looked closely at Tesla’s earnings model. Monarch also speaks of a smart distribution model in which an extensive dealer network shines through absence. By 2022, the company, Monarch, plans to build a factory in Novosibirsk, Russia, to produce 20,000 cars annually.
Monarch has the ambition to also sell his models outside the Russian borders. What the company has in the development chambers? Quite a lot, although we must honestly say that the digital drawings of the self-proclaimed Tesla demolisher from Russia still look somewhat amateurish. Monarch envisions a line-up of six models, cars that will be built on two different modular platforms. Two of them, the S and SX, are said to be already in the testing phase
Monarch S
Monarch S
The Monarch S is one of two cars that Monarch claims to be the first to go into production. The Monarch S is 5 meters long, 1.42 meters high and 2 meters wide. The colossus must be available as a sedan and as a liftback. With the S, Monarch says it is targeting the segment in which cars such as the Mercedes-Benz E-class and BMW 5-series operate. This is also the only car of which Monarch has already released an impression of the interior. The car promises to get 66 centimeters of digital instruments and a panoramic roof. Everything must also be finished with piles of ecologically responsible materials. Exactly what the idealistic EV customer wants to hear.
Interior Monarch S
Monarch SX
Then there is the Monarch SX, the SUV brother of the Monarch S which, according to its creators, should be comparable to cars like the Mercedes-Benz GLE and BMW X5. According to the first information, this 4.89 meters long, 1.75 meters high and 2.27 meters wide colossus will bring about 2,500-2,800 kilos into the bowl. In terms of design, the SX fits in well with the SX, although we must admit here that the computer drawings still look far from professional.
Monarch SX
Line up
The rest of the Monarch model range should include the J and JX. The J must become a sedan that will be comparable in size to cars such as the Mercedes-Benz C-class and BMW 3-series. The JX will be the SUV equivalent of the J and should therefore be comparable to the GLC and X3 of the German brands mentioned. The S, SX, J and JX are all on a variant of the same modular platform. Monarch talks about a second modular base it keeps for its top models: the L and LX. According to Monarch, the L is comparable to, you guessed it, the S-class and BMW 7-series, while the LX will be the SUV brother of that car (GLS and BMW X7).
Motors and battery
Monarch says its models will be available with 50kWh to 95kWh battery packs from Chinese manufacturer BYD and Korean LG. One by one, the electric models of Monarch must be able to achieve a range of at least 350 kilometers and a maximum of about 500 kilometers. Although Monarch says it wants to save money by not setting up a large dealer network, the start-up says it wants to set up a large-scale network of battery changing stations. An expensive joke, as the Israeli Better Place has experienced earlier. The battery changes should only take 2 to 4 minutes.
Monarch has two electric motors on the list, units of 136 hp and 204 hp. There is plenty to combine with this, as not one, but also two copies can be placed on each axis. Monarch speaks of 136 hp basic versions, but also 816 hp high-performance top models. The basis of the models to be produced would include various composites and carbon fiber.
How affordable does Monarch have to be? That turns out to be quite disappointing. The start-up envisages a small series of thirty introductory models of the S that should yield at least € 125,000. However, the prices of the S must be around € 50,000 to € 80,000.