Those familiar with entities like the former Subaru World Rally Team and Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) will know the name Prodrive, but they may not have guessed where it’s looking to expand before the end of the decade.
Prodrive is renowned globally for having built the Subaru rally cars driven by the likes of Colin McRae and Aussie Chris Atkinson, while more recently creating its $900,000 Impreza 22B STI tribute wearing the P25 nameplate.
It also had a long-standing Australian presence, rebranding Tickford as FPV in 2003, churning out factory-backed hot Falcons to rival Holden Special Vehicles’ (HSV) Commodores until 2012 when Ford bought its majority stake.
Now, Prodrive is looking to expand beyond its performance roots with the reveal of a tiny electric van concept, slated to enter production by 2028.
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Built with engineering by Prodrive and design by British firm Astheimer, the EVOLV concept is described by its makers as a “compact and highly efficient ‘last mile’ electric quadricycle”.
It’s the first project by the two brands’ joint venture, ELM mobility, which aims to put a “last mile EV” into production in the United Kingdom in 2028.
The EVOLV concept can be driven on a standard car licence and measures in at 3240mm long, 1450mm wide, and 2150mm tall, with a weight of 850kg including its batteries – meaning it’s light enough to qualify as a quadricycle in the UK, rather than a car.
It also packs two configurable load areas with a capacity of up to 4m³. It’ll be used on the UK’s city streets, with a top speed of 80km/h and a turning circle that’s only slightly larger than that of a London taxi.
For comparison, the EVOLV concept is considerably shorter than the Fiat 500e, which measures in at 3631mm long, as well as the best-selling Toyota HiAce van at 5265mm long.
ELM Mobility next intends to prepare the project for production, which examples set to be trialled by customers in the coming years. The company expects the eventual vehicle will be priced at around £25,000 (A$48,869).
It’s a far cry from Prodrive’s performance pedigree, which includes World Rally Championship victories for Colin McRae, Richard Burns, and Petter Solberg in 1995, 2001, and 2003 respectively as part of the Subaru team.
1993 Subaru Impreza 555 
2005 FPV range
The team also won three consecutive manufacturer’s titles in 1995, 1996, and 1997, with multiple later individual podium finishes at the hands of Mr Atkinson until Subaru pulled the plug on its rally program at the end of 2008.
Locally, Prodrive operated the Ford factory team in the V8 Supercars series throughout the 2000s, with multiple individual round wins for the likes of Mark Winterbottom, Craig Lowndes, and Will Davison in that time.
It also introduced one of the first ‘super SUVs’ in 2008; a 270kW performance version of the Ford Territory named the F6X.
MORE: Prodrive P25: Reborn Rex revealed ahead of Goodwood debut
