REPORT: Detroit Electric signs deal with Proton, plans two new electric cars
Last September, the revived Detroit Electric brand announced in Malaysia that it planned to produce a new line of electric vehicles by the end of 2009. At the time, nothing was official, but the electric cars on display were based on the guts of Proton Savvy and Persona sedans, leading us to wonder if there was a deal between Detroit Electric and the Malaysian automaker. Apparently, there is.
The two companies have announced that they will jointly create two electric vehicles under the Detroit Electric brand called the e46 and e63 (with apparent apologies to Mercedes-Benz), both based on existing Proton models. Various countries in Europe and Asia will get first crack at the EVs beginning in February of 2010. U.S. sales are expected to begin three to six months later.
The least expensive model is said to have a range of about 110 miles and will reportedly cost around $23,000. A higher-spec model will boast a 200 mile range and sell for around $30K. The upstart automaker has ambitions of selling 40,000 units in its first year and 270,000 by 2012.
[Source: Financial Times, Paul Tan]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bill E 5:34PM (3/31/2009)
Also need to apologize to BMW for the e46.
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the_MVP_X 5:54PM (3/31/2009)
Ugly.
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phoenix 5:56PM (3/31/2009)
Uhh... might as well apologize to Ford for aping the original Focus sedan, while they're at it.
But hey, as long as they call it "green" and take the name "Detroit" off of it (maybe call it United Nations Electric Thing), maybe they'll sell a few.
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John 5:58PM (3/31/2009)
As long as Malcolm Bricklin doesn't try to import it, there is a chance.....
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Sektor 6:18PM (3/31/2009)
It looks a bit generic; but if it kills Tesla (faster) I'm all for it.
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polo 9:56PM (3/31/2009)
Idiot. This will increase production capacity for EV parts (including batteries) and lower their costs. If anything it will allow the Tesla Model S to be more profitable and the Model T to be released potentially earlier than planned.
Reader 6:32PM (3/31/2009)
I'm getting tired of hearing about all these future electric cars. They should be here. Now.
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polo 9:57PM (3/31/2009)
In a about a year and a half, you'll be able to pick and choose. Also, the more that get announced, the more competitive the other brands have to be, meaning lower price, more features, and longer range!
Zach 7:47PM (3/31/2009)
My eyes weren't focusing and I thought it was a Volvo concept...
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Paul B 8:24PM (3/31/2009)
Looks like a Mazda 3 with a new nose photoshopped onto it. Must have huge R&D budget!
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jessi.warner5 3:26AM (4/01/2009)
i am tired of hearing about various companies cars
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Elecktro_Motion 2:51PM (4/01/2009)
It seems electric cars are perpetually 1 to 2 years away. What the heck?
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