G-Wiz doing just fine, thanks

In light of reports of slow electric car sales in the UK and the NICE Car Company's collapse, the distributor of the Reva G-Wiz i, GoinGreen, wants to let everyone know that they are still around and doing just fine, thank you very much. Although their sales are about half of what they were in 2007, they are claiming "good financial health" and expect that the downturn in the economy will affect them positively since their battery-powered buggies are inexpensive to buy and operate in a British motoring environment that's fraught with costly congestion charges, exorbitant parking fees and steep fuel prices.

In the case of the G-Wiz i, it's suffering sales are likely more closely related to bad publicity from horrendous crash results broadcast by the popular Top Gear television show than the economy. Although they've made improvements to both drivetrain and chassis since then and are now offering their Indian-sourced vehicle at a discounted £7,995 (on the road!), the design is starting to get a little long in the tooth and some buyers may be holding out for the UK rollout of the Th!nk City or Mitsubishi i MiEV. Hopefully, Reva will come through on their promise of new models and help GoinGreen remain a going concern. Find an official statement from GoinGreen after the jump.

[Source: GoinGreen]

PRESS RELEASE:

5th December: GoinGreen pioneered the electric vehicle (EV) market in London, with the introduction of the REVA G-Wiz in 2004, and it supports healthy competition to further advance electric vehicles' share in the market at large. GoinGreen is therefore concerned to hear the reports regarding the NICE Car Company going in to administration.

Although the economic downturn is hurting all companies involved in vehicle retail at the moment, GoinGreen remains in good financial health and can weather what it views as a temporary general decline in EV sales. Indeed, GoinGreen believes that as the public tightens its belt, the low cost motoring offered by the G-Wiz actually becomes a stronger proposition. From just £7,995 on the road and with fuel costs of under 2p per mile, low insurance and free or reduced fee parking in many London boroughs it is now the time for people to re-examine the G-Wiz for their urban driving requirements. Infrastructure such as electric recharging points are also on the increase in the capital. With potential savings of up to £6,000 a year, it has never been a better time to explore the idea of driving electric over a traditional petrol car.

"The Government recently backed the development of electric vehicle technology as it is an opportunity for the UK to take the lead and that we need to seize the opportunity given the state of the global economy. Other EVs are due to come to market, although most of these are still several years away or are very expensive. However, in the four years since GoinGreen launched, over 1,100 Londoners have experienced cheap and zero emissions driving in London by owning a G-Wiz," says Steve Hartridge, managing director of GoinGreen.