Does Zap! have an electric SUV up its sleeve?
by Domenick Yoney (RSS feed) on Jan 23rd 2010 at 9:25AM
Might more be going on at Zap then we had previously heard? Considering the number of previous product promulgations that subsequently never materialized we aren't holding our breath, but who knows, maybe this time there is a wolf. What's the news/rumor this time? That the controversial California company is teaming up with Zhejiang Jonway Automobile Co. Ltd to produce electric SUVs, cars and other vehicles for the Chinese, European and North American markets. Jonway currently produces a three- and five-door version of the A380, a UFO-branded SUV that looks nothing like a Toyota Rav4 in their 50,000 unit capacity facility in Taizhou, China.
Having only had a sales goal of 15,000 vehicles last year, we can see why the company is hot to jump into bed with "one of the world's oldest electric vehicle providers" who promises to help them take advantage of the Chinese government's 60,000 RMB (approximately $8,790 at today's rate) per electric vehicle stimulus subsidy, despite the fact that the only experience their American partner has had with the "AC propulsion and lithium battery system" they plan on stuffing into the UFO SUV consists of a one-off prototype of the Zap Alias. This should go well, don't you think?
Hit the jump for a fresh press release with all the lurid details and video of the UFO in action, complete with bizarre mysterious opening sequence. As a bonus, we also have footage of a repainted (and possibly re-configured to front-wheel-drive) road-going Zap Alias which was most recently in Detroit for the 2010 NAIAS.
[Source: Zap via Gasgoo / NewSSC | Source Image: Jonathan Gill - C.C. License 2.0]
