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 Afghanistans first-ever supercar, called the Mada 9.
Yes, it is true, 30 engineers from car design studio ENTOP and Kabuls Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI) have created the countrys 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 Toyotas 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.ENTOP-ATVI Mada 9As per Afghanistans 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 9s unveil, the Talibans 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.A launch date for the Mada 9 has not been revealed yet, it is expected to be sold in Afghanistan first, before being introduced in international markets.
What are your thoughts on Afghanistan's first supercar? Would you buy one? Tell us in the comments.