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In the run-up to Geneva, a lot of the big brands can tease you or tell you all about what's going to be at the show - which then leaves an odd selection of metal from lesser-known companies as the more surprising items to be seen when you finally get to the event.
And this is one such example of that cadre - it's the Vanda Electrics Dendrobium and it's said to be Singapore's first-ever hypercar... although we'd argue that you'd be hard-pressed to name ANY other car that's come from the Asian city-state. Perhaps more impressively, the VE Dendrobium is a fully electric hypercar, capable of more than 320km/h... and the technical partner of the project is none other than Williams Advanced Engineering; yes, it is that Williams.
Exterior
We have to say, we're big fans of the Vanda's general shape, which looks suitably futuristic without copying anything European. It was designed in-house by VE's team and its party piece is that it has an automatic roof and doors, which - once they've opened in a synchronised fashion - are said to resemble a genus of orchids native to Singapore... the dendrobium. So now you know. Although we would also suggest there's something of the cornered, angry tarantula about the car with all its apertures open.
The teardrop shape around the cockpit ends in an aerodynamic tail and it houses the plug-in recharging port behind a panel above the charging light, which displays the status of the car's battery. An aerodynamic floor, rear double-diffuser, front splitter and the light bar at the back couple with items such as exposed double-wishbone suspension to reinforce the motorsport theme. A composite monocoque chassis, carbon-fibre body panels, carbon ceramic brakes and lightweight alloys callipers behind the 20-inch front, 21-inch rear alloys all help to contribute to keeping the Dendrobium's weight down to a sylph-like... oh... ah. It weighs, er... it weighs 1,750kg. Crikey.
Interior
There's a lot of carbon fibre inside and the driver gets a red seat, when the rest of the cabin is black. Scotland's Bridge of Weir provides premium, low-carbon-produced leather to clothe most surfaces, with the stitching on the seats supposed to be inspired by muscle fibres. Ahead of the driver is a digital dashboard with two rear-view displays from the wing-mounted cameras, a classic concept show car feature that can never make it to production. You'll also notice a hexagon motif, carried in from the front grille and headlight bezels, and replicated on the air vents.
Mechanicals
Vanda is keen to stress this is purely a concept car at the moment but it has performance targets in mind for any eventual production version, which are a top speed in excess of 320km/h and 0-100km/h in around 2.7 seconds. As the Singaporean company's name suggests, it will achieve these monstrous numbers using electric power alone, with the latest lithium-ion battery providing the juice. This is where Williams' involvement really comes to the fore, as not only does it compete in F1 with its hybrid cars, it is the sole battery supplier to Formula E and it also had a hand in developing the Jaguar C-X75 supercar.
If the Dendrobium does get built, two inboard-mounted electric motors will be fitted to each axle, coupled to a single-speed gearbox and differential at the front, and a multi-speed gearbox plus diff at the rear. VE needs to get enough positive feedback from the car's appearance in Geneva and if it does, the first cars could be on the roads by 2020.
Anything else?
The Dendrobium comes from a suitably barmy company that has come up with some off-the-wall-cool electric vehicles known as the Pro Ant Truck and the Motochimp mini-scooter, so this 320km/h machine is positively normal by comparison. Larissa Tan, Vanda Electrics' CEO, said: "Dendrobium is the culmination of a dream. Our design team has had sketches of an electric hypercar on the drawing board since the mid-1990s, but that vision was many years ahead of its time. As electric technology has advanced, we have been able to revisit this vision and now, as we launch our revolutionary global e-mobility strategy, the timing is finally right for us to take the wraps off a halo model.