Coda - The electric car you've never heard of

News of this car has been quietly kicking around since Mar 2010.
In that time. the expected price has varied between $30K and $45K.
~$12K more than the Leaf. Apparently first sales will be strictly limited
to SoCal and Hawaii.

Which would the pricing be; gutsy, stupid, or sly like a fox?
CODA ramps up electric car manufacturing in China with new $394M







Interestingly, the electric motor and gearbox are US made.
That means that the completed chassis can be imported as a kit
car/"car parts"! Final assembly incorporating Chinese made lithium-ion
batteries will be in SoCal, probably OC.
Coda Latest EV Hopeful to Target California for Plant
Electric Car Start-Up, Coda, Will Sell Cars With New Business Model

Following the Coda's progress towards marketability is real roller
coaster ride:

With its proprietary battery and thermal management system, Coda
estimates a 40 percent increase in usable energy that any other EV in
its class. The only way this could occur is if CODA is allowing a much
wider range of SOC, a condition that other EV makers avoid.

"Starting today [9/21/10] you can plunk down $499 for a refundable
deposit to be among the first to buy a Coda the electric car that comes
billed as having more range than just about any of the other electric on
the way.

But don't think this is going to an easy road for Coda. The California
startup is pricing its all-electric sedan at $44,900 before federal and
state tax incentives. That's substantially higher than Nissan's Leaf
electric car at $32,780 including delivery."
Electric Coda sedan vows longer range, but higher price

"But a small Californian firm yesterday pushed its own compact all-
electric car launch back from next month to sometime in the third
quarter of 2011. And we think that puts them in a tough and scary
position.

The announcment from Coda Automotive that its 2011 Coda Sedan
won't hit the streets until late 2011 comes a week after both the firm's
senior vice president of sales & marketing and the CEO resigned.
CODA has said little about the reasons behind this, except that it wishes
to make sure the quality of its car is as high as possible."
CODA Delays Rollout of Electric Car

Coda has worked out a deal with Hertz to position the Coda at its rental
locations.
Hertz to Add CODA Electric Sedans to SoCal Rental Fleet

"Coda also plans to launch first in the California market, with a sales
strategy that mirrors Apple’s and is similar to Tesla’s. It will open about
17 storefronts in high-traffic malls over the next year, according to
spokesman Matt Sloustcher, giving visitors a chance to check out the
car and learn about electric cars in a no-pressure sales environment.
California is a first-launch state for most electric cars given high gas
prices and a progressive stance on cleantech. And it offers a $5,000 tax
credit for electric car buyers — combined with the $7,500 federal
credit, that knocks $12,500 off the price tag.

The sales strategy doesn’t impress analyst Grose, who says that cars a
much tougher sell than iPods. But the key to Coda’s future may well be
in fleet sales. The company is targeting 40 to 50 percent of its planned
14,000 sales in the next year to go to fleets. GM does big business in
fleet sales (think police cars and rental services), and recently landed a
deal with GE to supply the company with 12,000 electric cars by 2015,
underscoring the importance of fleets sales in electric car adoption.
Coda recently announced a deal for 100 of its sedans with Enterprise
Rent-A-Car, and hired new fleet sales executives with backgrounds in
GE, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler."
Can Coda steal sales from the backlogged Nissan Leaf?

"In California, Hertz and other fleet owners can receive up to
$20,000 in tax incentives for zero emmission commercial vehicles.
Also, the federal government is offering rebates from $2,500 to $7,500
to EV purchsers."
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101122/OEM05/101129977/1429

So the price may be set based primarily on fleet sales, not open
market, general consumer considerations.
Would that qualify as sly like a fox?

As a fleet vehicle, you would expect the car to lack many bells and
whistles. As for what those amenities that might be lacking, here's a
list for the base model, fleet intended Prius.

 

I am not sure what the legal definition of "fleet" is or whether it varies by state as to eligibility for purchase, but as a business owner you can buy "fleet". And "business owner" is a pretty broad term. There are a lot of sole proprietors and LLCs out there.

 

Last month AltCarExpo had a few Codas there. You can even test drive one.