Kalashnikov wants to take on Tesla with its retro-look CV-1 electric 'supercar'

Kalashnikov, the Russian firm famous for the AK-47 assault rifle, has unveiled an electric car which it says will be better than its counterpart from Elon Musk's Tesla.

Kalashnikov presented the prototype of the car, CV-1, at an event near Moscow on Thursday.

The company says the design of the car takes inspiration from a hatchback created back in the 1970s. It calls the car a revolutionary state-of-the-art 'supercar'.

The company claims the CV-1 is made up of complex systems and the technology used in the car will establish Kalashnikov as a global manufacturer of quality electric cars, on par with Elon Musk's Tesla and others.

When fully developed, the car would have a top speed several times higher than the electric cars presently manufactured by the company and it would have a range of 350 km on a single charge, Kalashnikov claims.

As the CV-1 is at the prototype stage, the price hasn't been disclosed.

Kalashnikov is looking to diversify and recently launched a clothing line and personal items ranging from smartphone covers to umbrellas.

CV-1 met with mixed reactions in Moscow, with social media users taking to Kalashnikov's Facebook page to express their views on Russia's answer to Tesla, with some making fun of it and calling it 'Zombie like' while others praised it for its cool appearance.

"You make great tanks, but it would be better if you stay away from cars," commented a Facebook user.

Earlier in the week, Kalashnikov unveiled a robot called Igorek (aka little Igor), a manned 13-feet tall, 4.5 ton robot designed for tasks ranging from engineering to combat.

Internet users have mocked the robot for being bulky and old-fashioned at a time when companies are competing to make robots smarter, smaller and sleeker.

Kalashnikov says it will come out with an improved version of Igorek in 2020.