Jannarelly, the Dubai-based company behind the stunning Design-1 sports car, is preparing for a significant expansion this decade and has appointed a new CEO to oversee it.
The company on Thursday named Alexander Lee as CEO and announced plans to establish manufacturing and R&D facilities in the United States by 2021. Jannarelly currently assembles the Design-1 at its headquarters in Dubai.
Lee was previously CEO of Singer Vehicle Design, the Californian company renowned for its custom Porsche 911s. Although Lee was only at Singer for three years, he was responsible for a large increase in sales at the company: 60 percent of all Singers currently on the road were built while he was running the company.
Jannarelly Design-1
Jannarelly co-founder Frederic Juillot said the company expects most of its future customers to come from the U.S. Building cars here will also mean a more efficient supply chain, he said. A final decision on the location will be made later this year.
The Jannarelly name comes from fellow co-founder and chief designer Anthony Jannarelly. He originally developed the Design-1 as a one-off car for himself but soon realized that there was a lot of interest in the project. The company delivered the first customer example in 2017, just two years after the car was first shown.
The Design-1 features a bespoke tubular chassis made from steel and aluminum and a body that’s a mix of fiberglass and carbon fiber. Peak power of 304 horsepower comes from a mid-mounted 3.5-liter V-6 sourced from Nissan, and drive is to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual and limited-slip differential. The company has also explored the potential of a battery-electric version.
