First impressions are everything, and the first sight of Dragon stuns with its imposing presence and powerful stance, its flowing, organic lines, and its two-door gullwing layout. Designed in Italy by Lowie Vermeersch and his GranStudio team, Dragon wraps the latest technology in the language of pure form, but always with an eye to function.
The front wing's carefully sculpted lines, for example, are not just beautiful–they also allow air to pass through the nose to reduce drag, increase range and create meaningful downforce at speed. The rear flying buttresses also serve this dual ethos of striking visual style and functional aerodynamics, guiding airflow rearward toward the "coda tronca" rear end and its diffuser.
The gullwing doors, likewise, are not there just for visual impact, although they have plenty. The large, power-operated gullwings eliminate the B-pillar to make it easier to get in and out of Dragon's front and rear seats, enhance outward sight lines for rear-seat passengers, and are designed to open upward more than outward for easy access even when parked near vehicles, walls, or other obstacles.
Even the lighting brings more to Dragon's feature set than initially meets the eye. The headlights and taillights are highly detailed, with futuristic digital visual cues and unique LEDs for maximum visibility. Designed for off-road adventures as well as on-road performance, Dragon also features ultra-bright rally lights integrated into its roof to improve driver awareness in extreme environments.
The body panels, too, are not just lightweight and ultra-strong composites. Drako is pioneering the use of sustainable natural fibres in its body panels to reduce weight and improve rigidity while reducing plastic use by up to 70 percent. Natural fibre composites also offer full end-of-life recyclability, helping further to reduce Dragon's environmental footprint.
Dragon's cabin space has been reimagined from the ground up to be as revolutionary as its exterior design. Dragon's Quad Motor electric architecture enables new ways of thinking about and realising interior space and packaging that, in turn, helps achieve an even better balance between the competing goals of beauty, versatility, functionality, and performance.
As driver-focused as Dragon is, the cabin gives equal treatment to rear-seat passengers. The B-pillarless design and panoramic glass roof offer passengers incredible spaciousness and beautiful unobstructed views outward. A rear-seat entertainment package with dual screens mounted to the rear of the leather and carbon fibre front seats will also be available. Rear seat occupants also get programmable backlighting that shines through perforated leather panels for enhanced ambience and intimacy.
The front seats, on the other hand, bring out Dragon's performance side, combining luxurious comfort with a sense of focus on the road and the task at hand suitable to Dragon's extreme performance capabilities. The steering wheel offers sensational tactile feel, not just from its feedback about the front tires' grip, but also from its array of buttons and controls. All of Dragon's physical driver controls are mounted directly to the steering wheel, including those for the turn signals, windshield wipers, headlights, and horn, as well as two 5-way thumb controllers and a pair of driver-programmable rotary controls.
Front and centre between the two first-row occupants sits a 17.1-inch touchscreen display, which allows for monitoring and configuration of the vehicles' systems as well as immersive infotainment experiences. The digital instrument cluster display is customizable, as are the programmable steering wheel controls. Even the sideview mirrors are camera-and-screen-based, the tiny door-mounted cameras displaying their output on screens embedded into the dashboard.
Dragon's all-carbon fibre structure and unique layout also helps improve sight lines for the driver, enabling the A-pillar to be pushed much farther forward than in other vehicles. The unique structure
enabled by the Quad Motor electric architecture also means there's ample cargo space behind the rear seats, with a large and versatile trunk/hatch space able to accommodate luggage for all passengers.