Lebanon Debuts Its First Car And It's An Electric Doozy

Lebanon's first car is a big swing for the fences with both its styling and the technology that powers it. It's impossible to miss its unique design, which gives the car some ungainly proportions. At certain angles – and if you squint – the car kind of looks like a Porsche Cayman with reworked fenders, though it looks much narrower than the Porsche. A prototype debuted last month.

The sporty looks are paired with some solid performance numbers, though the numbers on the official site won't blow the doors off most competitors. The car allegedly hits 100 kilometers per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in five seconds, with the car's top speed limited to 165 kilometers per hour (102 miles per hour). Power comes from a 50-kilowatt lithium-ion battery that helps deliver 160 horsepower (119 kilowatts) to the rear wheels through a single-speed transmission. Eighteen-inch staggered forged aluminum wheels sit at the corners.

Inside, passengers are greeted with a modern interior that has a 15.9-inch touchscreen infotainment display. The interior is fairly minimalistic, with a simple dashboard, a stylish instrument cluster, and a sporty steering wheel. Customers will be able to pick from several interior color options, too. The body, made from fiberglass, features big bulbous fenders that help give the car its quirky character. It sits on a "superlight aluminum chassis." It has an alleged range of 450 kilometers (279 miles).

The car is expected to cost $30,000 when it goes on sale, with production beginning later this year before hitting showrooms in 2022. The company hopes to produce 10,000 vehicles by next year. Lebanese-born Jihad Mohammad set up the company four years ago, which now sports a team of 300 members. He has long-term plans for his company to compete on the international market alongside installing around 100 recharging stations across the power-strapped country, though they'd be connected to generators, according to Al Jazeera.