The M-Zero Could Be India’s First Supercar

When you’ve attended enough auto shows, you get used to the fact that a good percentage of cool new concepts — particularly the exotics being presented — will not make it to production. At least, not in their current form, or for many years (remember the Acura NSX?). But some do make it through, and if that is the case for the new M-Zero prototype by Mean Metal Motors, it will be India’s first supercar.

Last we spoke of a nation’s new exotic vehicle, we discussed the Lykan Hypersport, also known as the world’s first Arab supercar. And prior to that, we brought up the new Dodge Viper ACR, an American-made high-performance beast. But now it’s time for another country to present something new in the form of a mean machine, and it seems the director of MMM, Sarthak Paul, has just the car for India.

CNN Money describes the young entrepreneur as a 21-year old university graduate working hard to launch the South Asian country’s first supercar. Sketches of the company’s new creation, known as the M-Zero, have already been posted on their website. The vehicle looks as sleek and beastly as one would expect from an exotic, and comes equipped with a mid-mounted engine: a 4.0-liter V-8 bi-turbo with more than 500 horsepower on tap, and delivering as much as 700Nm (of torque). What’s more, a hybrid electric power unit adds another 200 bhp and 270Nm to the overall output, helping to boost performance, and potentially enabling the vehicle to accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds, according to CNN Money. As for its top speed, expect it to be in the 200 mph area.

Other interesting features worth noting include a double wishbone suspension that uses hydro-pneumatic struts to keep the vehicle’s weight on the low-end, variable suspension height, a carbon-fiber monocoque tub, and a fingerprint system.

The M-Zero is still in concept form, and Paul needs more funds to produce the supercar. However, Motor Authority says the company is using carbo-flax, which is a new, lighter, and less expensive material than carbon fiber. Hopefully this will entice new investors.

In the meantime, we know that the estimated price tag will be around $150,000, and that Paul hopes to present his dream machine at the 2016 Paris Auto Show.