In pics: Taliban unveils 1st supercar ‘Mada 9’ with modified Toyota Corolla engine

Afghanistan: The Taliban leadership is committed to changing the world’s perception of Afghanistan as a regressive nation. While we were busy covering the new launches at the Auto Expo, an unexpected car got unveiled in Kabul and literally left the internet smoking. We are talking about Taliban-ruled Afghanistan’s first-ever supercar, called the ‘Mada 9’. Yes, it is true, 30 engineers from car design studio ENTOP and Kabul’s Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI) have created the country’s first supercar. Here is everything we know about the Mada 9.

The Mada 9 is still in its prototype stage and has taken the team of engineers more than five years to build. Currently, it gets Toyota’s 1.8-litre DOHC 16-Valve VVT-i, 4-cylinder petrol engine that was introduced with the 2004 generation of the Corolla sedan. In its stock form, the several applications of this particular engine in Toyota cars produced between 166 to 187 hp. However, the power mill inside the Mada 9 has been modified and the exact figures are unknown.

As per Afghanistan’s TOLO News, the petrol engine in the Mada 9 could be replaced by an electric powertrain by the time a production version is ready. During Mada 9’s unveil, the Taliban’s Higher Education Minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, reportedly said that the supercar proves that the Taliban regime is committed to providing religion and modern science for its people.

What is the engine of the ENTOP Mada 9?

The ENTOP Mada 9 is a mid-engine supercar and it uses the engine of a Toyota Corolla, a 1.8-liter inline-4 cylinder. The power and torque specs are yet to be revealed. However, the leadership, while announcing the car, claimed that the Corolla engine has been modified to be to go at higher speed.

What is the chassis of the ENTOP Mada 9?

Reportedly, the Mada 9 is built based on a tubular frame chassis. And to make it less heavy, the manufacturer has used lightweight composite materials to make the car.

What is the suspension set-up of the ENTOP Mada 9?

The Mada 9 uses F1-styled pushrod suspensions. This type of suspension efficiently distributes the weight of the car body and also manages body roll better. The suspension system manages to achieve this by moving essential components out of direct airflow, which in turn also lowers the center of gravity of the four-wheeler.

Off-road oriented supercar

The ENTOP Mada 9 is being tested on the hilly regions in Afghanistan. This suggests that the production-ready car will be able to take on broken tarmacs with ease. With this information, we just can’t help but think about the newly unveiled Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato and the Porsche 911 Dakar Rally. Both sports cars have been built to go on roads which are usually avoided by supercar owners.

How much does Afghanistan’s first supercar the Mada 9 cost?

The Mada 9 is expected to command a hefty price tag. Supercars like Lamborghini Huracan, Audi R8, etc usually cost above a crore in India. The Mada 9 is also likely to be priced between Rs 2-4 crores.