Remember Mullen? It’s a California-based company that tried (and failed) to sell Chinese-made EVs in the United States a couple of years ago. It also bought a controlling stake in Bollinger Motors–a marque that was working on an all-electric off-roader–and owns the ex-General Motors factory where the Hummer H2 used to be built.
If none of this tickles your memory, you’re not alone, rest assured. But maybe an extreme SUV with an outlandish body kit will help you remember the Mullen name in the future. Enter the Mullen Five RS, an all-electric high-performance SUV that was revealed at CES 2024 as the company’s most powerful model yet. That’s if it will ever go into production, seeing how none of the company’s past passenger car projects went that far.
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Mullen's latest creation is a hardcore electric SUV
Mullen Automotive revealed a high-performance version of its upcoming Five electric SUV dubbed the Five RS. Its targeted power output is 1,000 hp and the 0-60 mph time is expected to be just 2 seconds.
Mullen says it expects to launch the Five RS sometime in 2025 ahead of the previously unveiled non-RS flavored Five SUV with a hefty list of impressive specs and a price tag to match.
The company behind the outlandish EV is targeting an output of over 1,000 horsepower and more than 850 pound-feet of torque for the car’s dual-motor all-wheel drive setup that also uses a dual-speed transmission, much like the Porsche Taycan.
With this much grunt, Mullen estimates that the 5,070-pound SUV will sprint from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than 2 seconds (that’s 1.2 seconds quicker than the toned-down version) and on to a top speed of over 200 mph.
But with great power (and quite a lot of weight), the braking system needs to be pretty beefy, too. Mullen says the Five RS has six-piston Brembo front calipers that grab onto 15.7-inch two-piece carbon-ceramic rotors, while the rear has a set of four-piston calipers and 14.6-inch rotors. All of this can stop the SUV from 62 mph (100 kilometers per hour) in 110 feet.
Gallery: Mullen Five RS
A 100-kilowatt-hour battery is said to provide energy to the two electric motors. The company didn’t say if this is the gross or net capacity, but it did mention that it can enable a driving range of 300 miles (25 miles fewer than the regular Five) and that it can be recharged from zero to 80 percent state of charge (SoC) in about 20 minutes. That said, the charging speed in kilowatts wasn’t disclosed.
Four rather sporty individual seats offer what seems to be a supportive ride to the driver and three passengers inside, while the infotainment system includes things like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and an AI-based voice assistant.
Two large displays and a smaller third screen for the front passenger occupy most of the dashboard. There’s also a standard panoramic roof on U.S.-bound models, a premium sound system, and customizable ambient lighting.
On the practicality front, the Mullen Five RS has a cargo volume of 26 cubic feet with the rear seats in their normal position. With the rear seats folded, that number increases to 62 cu ft.
The exterior features a racing-inspired body kit that includes a rear spoiler and a set of 21-inch wheels on standard tires as standard. Those who like huge wheels can also opt for an optional set of 22-inchers that are either 9.5 or 11 inches wide.
As for pricing, there’s no official figure yet, but as Car and Driver reported, the company’s CEO mentioned during the press conference that the Five RS will start at around $295,000, while a carbon-fiber edition will cost roughly $385,000. Ouch.
