New pic: FRONT VIEW of Final(?) Production-ready Aptera 2e (?)

[josh]

OK, here's something we've been waiting/looking for... a nice front-view of what may well be the emerging or final 2e.

As with my previous post, don't ask about my source. If that means you don't believe or trust that this is real, no problem... ignore this info as hearsay or fanboy photoshop work, or whatever you like. I make no claims or guarantees, I just post it here for discussion. I have no information about whether this is final or not, genuine or not, nor do I know the date of this pic relative to the last rendering.

As Oliver Goldsmith wrote... "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies..."

NOTICE: I HAVE NO COPYRIGHT ON THIS IMAGE, IT'S NOT MINE,
But I'd like to ask that if any other site, magazine, or service makes use of this picture, please
provide attribution to ApteraForum.com and, if used online, a link back here to this thread.
You don't need to ask my permission, just provide the requested attribution and link.
(I'm talking to YOU Kyle Busch of Examiner.com!)

Looks nice, huh? Let the discussion/debate begin!
For those who want to really dissect it as much as possible, here's a link to a higher-resolution version of it.

Enjoy!

--josh

[josh]

So, there will be many people here more observant and knowledgeable than me... but here are my observations on this new pic.

Wheel pods/pants: The shape looks different, and even "flatter" which seems odd, but the more I look at it, much of this appears to be an effect due to the perspective of the camera. The driver-side pod looks almost like it has a flat front and top, which shouldn't be as aerodynamic as the v-shaped "creased" or "peaked" design we've seen. But if you look at the left (passenger) side of this pic, that one does show a more noticeable v-shape profile. So I'm not sure what to make of this... maybe a rendering quirk, an effect of the particular perspective, or a definitely change to the shape of the pods. Eager to hear from others what they see and think.

Headlight cluster: clearly redesigned, now with integrated turn-signals. Looks nice to me. sleek.

Exposed front suspension parts: appear redesigned, and might now not be painted body-colored/white anymore. Almost looks pewter-finished or powder-coated steel? I'm sure this will be debated, whether that's an effect of this render/pic or if it's real, and if so, is it better or not. Not having it white would make it easier for Aptera to eventually offer different colored vehicles. Fewer parts to paint or color, especially if the underlying material is different, which could be a problem for matching the body paint exactly. Personally, I like this look.

New side mirror mounts: Sleek, thin. But to me they almost look too fragile, though I know if it's the same composite, it's probably mighty strong.

Doors: OK, now we can see the new shape of the door and the overall widening of the passenger cabin, clearly to make the windows retract. And, I didn't notice it at first, but thanks to a more observant person, I can see there are now window sills or whatever you'd call it... the windows are recessed from the body and it used to be flush with the door. All thanks to the "need" to have windows that open. An improvement? not sure.

new Aptera logo: on the leading edge of the door. OK I guess.

What else do people here notice as changes?

--josh

[KarenRei]

Brightening up the dark areas:

[fritzponds]

It has a normal hood now, and the body is much more square.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

Thanks for lightening the contrast Karen -- I can now figure out what is going on with the front wheel pods! They are asymmetrical when viewed from above -- the inside face is nearly flat, and the leading "point" is close to the inside; and the outside face is much more convex and it curves inward at the front. From the point of view of this rendering, this curve is foreshortened and it looks squared off -- until you look at the lower part.

It has a hood, and there is a "bumper" now.

The lower part of the side windows appear to be set back from the face of the door, forming a sill surface.

They have abandoned the flexible "boot" that was covering the opening where the suspension struts come out of the body.

I think they need to add some marker lights on the front and outside of the front wheel pods.

[futura]

The interior looks much brighter in the back, perhaps an artifact, but also the rear window is significantly larger. This was something they said would be modified. Can't tell if it's any narrower but the new wheel pods make it look wider! Hope not.
Thanks for posting, Josh.

[evmavin]

No top door hinge seam visible here and the leading edges of the door sills and other items would seem to have quite a bit of drag. I wonder if all the efficiency numbers for the new vehicle are based heavily on computer modeling VS actual testing. As Josh mentions there is no way to know what version or series of rendering orders this was from. Interesting that it surfaces at the very end of Oct when an announcement or an official newsletter or communication is expected.

[Matthijs]

Originally Posted by evmavin

No top door hinge seam visible here and the leading edges of the door sills and other items would seem to have quite a bit of drag. I wonder if all the efficiency numbers for the new vehicle are based heavily on computer modeling VS actual testing. As Josh mentions there is no way to know what version or series of rendering orders this was from. Interesting that it surfaces at the very end of Oct when an announcement or an official newsletter or communication is expected.

Yeah now it looks like the doors only have one big hinge. Still love the shape although you can clearly see the more production look to it. But I love the way they integrated that so it now has a bumper and hood. I love the new headlights much better then the black ones imho, Gives it a more luxuriant look.

It seems the roll down windows really took his toll on the more rounded shape which gave the Aptera the ufo look. I wonder how much effect this has on the overall drag.

Thank you very much for posting this Josh!

[evmavin]

Originally Posted by Matthijs

Yeah now it looks like the doors only have one big hinge. Still love the shape although you can clearly see the more production look to it. But I love the way they integrated that so it now has a bumper and hood. I love the new headlights much better then the black ones imho, Gives it a more luxuriant look.

It seems the roll down windows really took his toll on the more rounded shape which gave the Aptera the ufo look. I wonder how much effect this has on the overall drag.

Thank you very much for posting this Josh!

One possibility is that the lower hinge is more load bearing and the upper is concealed on the inside as it is smaller. The door sills seem to be le widest I have seen on any vehicle, perhaps it's the perspective of the rendering.

[Matthijs]

Originally Posted by evmavin

One possibility is that the lower hinge is more load bearing and the upper is concealed on the inside as it is smaller. The door sills seem to be le widest I have seen on any vehicle, perhaps it's the perspective of the rendering.

If they managed to conceal the upper hinge that would be very nice and give back some of the sleekness that is lost moving to production. I think they really want to deliver on getting a good entrance to the vehicle. Stated that in several video's and a blog post in the trickle charge they optimized it for a better ingress/egress.