Weapons maker Kalashnikov plans to build electric cars

THE MAKER of the legendary AK-47 assault rifle has taken a surprising new path.

Kalashnikov, the Russian company best known for its AK-47 assault rifle, is looking to make a more positive contribution to the planet.

The arms supplier has put down its weapons and is building an electric car to take on Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Unfortunately, the new electric concept car, dubbed the Kalashnikov CV-1, looks more like a blast from the past than a shot at a brave new future.

The car, revealed in Moscow, uses the shell of a 1970s soviet hatchback — the IZh Kombi — for the EV concept.

Retro charm: The Kalashnikov CV-1 uses the body of a 1970s soviet vehicle. (Photo: Supplied)

Underneath the retro exterior sits an electric drivetrain that is equipped with a 90kWh battery pack that reportedly gives the green hatch a range of 345km and a 0-100km/h time of about six seconds.

The CV-1’s range is on par with the standard battery Tesla Model 3 but well below the 500km range of the dual-motor variants. Tesla is yet to build any of the cheaper standard battery versions.

Charged-up: The Kalashnikov CV-1 plans to take on Tesla. (Photo: Supplied)

In a statement reported by the BBC the Russian company said the car would feature a range of complex technologies that would “let us stand in the ranks of global electric car producers such as Tesla”.

The arms maker has not provided details on what those technologies may be and the windows of the CV-1 are blacked out, blocking any view of what may lurk inside. A production version appears to be a long way off.

The CV-1 is not the only head turning prototype to come out of the Russian weapons maker’s stable recently.

Kalashnikov’s concept walking ‘battlefield engineer and fighting vehicle’ at an arms expo near Moscow. (Photo: Supplied)

Last week, Kalashnikov debuted its Star Wars-style walker at a Russian defence expo. The armoured military machine stands four metres tall and resembles a mechanised walker from a 1980s science fiction movie rather than a modern day weapon.