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Realizing the future for gas-powered vehicles IS uncertain, what better way for a historic British marque to announce its revival than with a sleek, lightweight, and battery-powered machine?
That’s the plan behind the return of Austin Motor Company, best remembered for classics like the Mini. Its latest creation, the Arrow EV, may not be earth-shatteringly quick or overloaded with gadgetry, but it certainly brings flair to the crowded electric space.
The Austin Arrow merges the extraordinary heritage of one of Britain’s most iconic automotive brands with cutting-edge electric vehicle technology, creating one of the most thrilling nostalgic sports cars ever built.
Drawing inspiration from the legendary Austin Seven of 1922, a small, versatile car that legendary figures like Bruce McLaren and Colin Chapman transformed into one of the most accomplished sports and racing machines in history, the Arrow carries that legacy into the EV era.
In 2025, Austin presents the Arrow with performance designed to excite any sports car enthusiast. Its dynamic handling delivers a supremely agile driving experience, offering an addictive adrenaline rush that pays homage to a legacy of over 100 years of automotive excellence.
The Arrow EV is modern in some respects, yet much of its charm comes from looking like it rolled straight out of the early 20th century. With cycle fenders, leather bonnet straps, and boat-tail coachwork, it caters directly to nostalgia seekers who want their EVs with a splash of retro romance. In an industry packed with minimalist crossovers, Austin has chosen a decidedly different path.
Measuring just over 145 inches long and weighing a featherlight 1,334 pounds, the Arrow EV is trim and astonishingly compact. Its tiny footprint means you could practically push it into a garage, while its hand-built bodywork ensures it turns heads wherever it goes. Safety gear is basic, though, with little more than roll hoops and small wind deflectors in place of a full windshield.
Power comes from a modest 20-horsepower electric motor paired with a 20-kWh battery. Performance is quirky rather than blistering, topping out at 60 mph, though it still manages a 0–60 dash in under 8 seconds. Range is quoted at around 100 miles, with a three-hour recharge on a home wallbox. Clearly, Austin isn’t chasing modern EVs here; it’s offering a stylish cruiser.
Inside, the retro vibe continues with wood trim on the dashboard and steering wheel, complemented by toggle switches and a three-gauge cluster. No digital overload, just the essentials. Company chairman Nigel Gordon-Stewart calls it “super nippy, elegant, lots of fun, and a real head-turner.”
At £31,000 (around $42,000), it sits close to mainstream EVs like the Nissan LEAF or Fiat 500e, but its style-first approach sets it apart. Buyers receive limited customization options, primarily in colors and leather trims, with wider market availability under discussion.
For those who value character over speed, the Austin Arrow EV could be a dream. For everyone else, it’s a bold experiment that will test whether nostalgia and design can keep pace in today’s EV market.
Initially founded in 1905, Austin faded away by the late 1980s before being revived in 2019. Now, with the Arrow EV, the company hopes to carve a unique niche.
The Austin Motor Company was founded in 1905 by Herbert Austin in Longbridge, Birmingham. Austin, born in 1866, began his career in Australia before returning to England to manage the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company. In 1905, he established his own company in a former tin printing works in Longbridge, securing £20,000 in capital from friends. The first car produced was the 25 hp Endcliffe Phaeton, introduced at the Olympia Motor Show in 1906. By the end of that year, the company had made 120 cars with a workforce of skilled artisans.
In 1913, Austin expanded into truck manufacturing, producing about 2,000 trucks before deciding to focus solely on cars. The company went public in 1914, increasing its capital to £50,000 and creating approximately 1,000 vehicles with a workforce of 2,000 employees. However, the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 shifted the company’s focus to munitions production, including trucks, armored cars, ambulances, generators, searchlights, and aircraft. By 1918, the workforce had expanded to over 20,000 employees, many of whom were women. For his contributions to the war effort, Herbert Austin was knighted in 1917.
Post-war, Austin continued to innovate, introducing models like the 16hp with the company’s first overhead valve engine. In 1952, the Austin Motor Company merged with Morris Motors to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC), retaining its separate identity. The Austin marque continued under BMC and its successors, British Leyland and the Rover Group, until it was phased out in 1989. The brand’s legacy endures, and in 2019, engineer John Stubbs revived the Austin Motor Company. The company has now been restored with a new management team, ushering in the first new Austin model in 2025, the Austin Arrow.
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