For months now, Francisco Motors has teased its latest electric vehicle, the Elektron. Photos of the unit’s silhouette and interior—as well as patent filings—have been shared on the social media account of FMC chairman Elmer Francisco.

Then, on July 24 and 25, Francisco posted art cards announcing the launch of the Elektron supposedly for yesterday, July 27. But instead of a venue, these images revealed that the unveiling would be exclusively via Jeepney.io, a website with few members, which include Elmer, his wife Michelle, and their son Dominic (who serves as Francisco Motors LLC chief executive officer).

According to the ‘press write-up,’ the Elektron five-door electric compact crossover will be 4,640mm long, 1,870mm wide, and 1,655mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,760mm. It will also have up to 450L of cargo space.

Based on the photos shared, it will have slim headlamp clusters, a sculpted front bumper, and a muscular hood. The sides feature soft curves and distinct character lines.

The back also shows a taillamp cluster that spans the width of the vehicle. The light elements converge and slowly fade in the middle, where an FMC badge can be found.

The back has sharp character lines, with “Francisco” and “Elektron” badging on either end of the tailgate. As with most crossovers, a wraparound black plastic cladding starts with the bumpers, runs through the fenders and running boards, and terminates at the rear bumper.

Sizes weren’t specified, but there are huge rims with low-profile tires. There are five “proposed colors” for the vehicle: Moon White, Lemon Yellow, Natron Red, Stellar Black, and Oasis Green.

Inside, the Elektron has a simple and clean interior. No sizes were provided, but it will have a slim digital instrument cluster, a big center screen, and a rotary controller.

The press material indicated that some features may be added, depending on the final configuration of the model. These include power driver seats with ventilation, heating, and memory function, USB Type-C charging points, a wireless charger, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning, customizable ambient lighting, and a fixed panoramic roof.

Depending on the variant, the audio system could have four, nine, or 10 speakers.

The powertrain configuration depends on the variant. For example, the Basic and Fashion trims come with a single motor that has a 0-100km/h time of 7.7 seconds, and will have a top speed of 160km/h.

The car will get juice from a 54.9kWh battery pack for the Basic, and 63.2kWh for the Fashion. All batteries will be of the lithium-iron phosphate variety. Range for the Basic is around 400km, while the Fashion has 500km.

The Deluxe variant has more detailed powertrain specifications. It will have two electric motors making a combined 456hp and 640Nm of torque. It gets charge from an 81.5kWh battery pack.

Power will be sent to all four wheels, and it will have a range of up to 600km. FMC lists a charging time of just 30 minutes with a CCS2 fast charger.

The Elektron will also have active safety systems like electronic brake force distribution, emergency brake assistance, traction control, and an acoustic pedestrian-alert system. It will also have advanced driver-assist systems like a 360° camera, blind-spot detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition, autonomous emergency braking, front and rear collision warnings, driver fatigue monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and auto parking assistance.

The Elektron can also receive over-the-air updates for its functions and systems. With Elektron Care, vehicles can get software updates, security patches, interface improvements, and added features.

FMC said that the Elektron will have an eight-year (or 150,000km) warranty, whichever comes first. This guarantee covers the battery, the motors, and the drive electronic components. Its online platform will handle reservations, sales, periodic maintenance and repair requests, and other offers.

The range-topping Elektron Deluxe is listed at P1,947,000. The company is opening reservations for the first 1,947 orders (witty or funny?). Prices for the other variants were not provided, and FMC indicated that it has plans to develop more variants for the crossover.

But the kicker is that—from the looks of it—the Elektron remains to be a concept for now. No actual vehicle has been presented. The press photos seem to be computer-generated, and based on the press write-up itself, things are still being finalized at the moment.

And a simple Google search will lead you to differently named and branded vehicles that are basically the same as the Elektron (save for some variations with front, rear, and wheel designs, as well as interior colors).

This is not the first time FMC has done this. In 2024, Francisco claimed that it had a brand-new commercial van model called the Harabas.

If we’re not mistaken, this is the same model that was eventually called Kidlat, based on Francisco’s Facebook posts. And like the Elektron, this was just another rebadged Chinese model, made to appear like an actual “Filipino-made” vehicle.

Do not get us wrong. It is actually worth celebrating that someone is trying to start a Filipino car brand. In fact, most, if not all, successful brands from Japan, Korea, and now China started with models licensed from more established carmakers. But to call the Elektron “gawang Pinoy” is misleading at best, and outright dishonest at worst.

While we appreciate Francisco’s continued efforts to keep FMC relevant (and to start the first Filipino automotive brand), we should really be sincere with ourselves. Let us call a spade what it really is—a spade.

But the biggest questions in all of these are: Will the Elektron be officially sold to Filipinos, or will it be just like the Harabas and the Kidlat (nothing but proofs of concept for FMC)? And will it be sold to our market? If yes, when exactly will it arrive?