13,000 reservations for the Sion solar car

The order backlog would give the Munich-based start-up 278 million euros in sales. However, the first cars will not roll off the production line until 2023.

Car start-up Sono Motors has already registered 13,000 reservations for their solar car Sion. The average down payment amount is 3,000 euros. The total order value corresponds to a planned turnover of 278 million euros. The future Sion drivers are mostly from the DACH region, the Munich-based start-up reports. But there is an "increasing number" of reservations from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Finland and Mauritius, it says.

"13,000 reservations is a clear sign for us and the entire automotive industry," said Jona Christians, CEO and co-founder of Sono Motors. "The number underscores people's need for resource-efficient and affordable mobility and gives us a tailwind to get the Sion on the road as soon as possible." Production is scheduled to start in 2023 - instead of 2022 as initially announced - and it should then be possible to build 43,000 vehicles a year in Sweden.

Sono Motors was founded in 2016 and employs 140 people. The Sion is an electric car that is powered by, among other things, built-in solar cells in the body.