Aptera Motors Viabilty? Your opinions please...

[Frank Amoroso]

Please to provide your take on this vehicle's viability...

Aptera Motors

I would like to get your opinions, not necessarily as gear heads (although please chime in there), but as to your thoughts on general commercial viability. Whaddaya think, will this thing 'fly?' Would you buy one? Why, or why not? Will normal, garden variety, Subaru driving suburbanites (with electrical outlets near their parking spots) buy these things?

Bring the noise folks,
Frank--

[...m...]

...honestly?..

...i expect aptera to suffer a similar fate to corbin motors...it's unfortunate, as i love these sorts of flights of inspiration, but the market's littered with the husks of clever and quirky highly-efficient electric and hybrid car manufacturers, and the only ones which survived came from established marques playing to the public's pre-existing notions of what a passenger car is supposed to look, feel, and drive like...

...market realities are that only the big players are allowed to innovate, and only by small increments...

[Frank Amoroso]

Thanks for your thoughts. Keep 'em coming please! I don't disagree with you, but I'd like to here people's cogent thoughts, differing opinions, etc.

Two minutes of rebuttal anyone?

[MattG]

I think the short term outlook is good, but they need to start selling product FAST and push hard to get as much market penetration as possible. In 2-3 years, most major automakers will have all-electric, normal-sized cars on the market and the Aptera will struggle to compete, I think. All it will really have going for it at that point is its funky styling.

[RichS]

Did they ever say what the cost would be? (Just looked and the all electric one would be under 30K) I'd get one if I had a bigger garage and the cost was reasonable. I think the wife would love it.

Although for that cost it might make sense to get one of those enclosed golf cart things, but I'm not sure those are street legal.

[jasper]

if they could bring an all electric car that is freeway legal to the market for around 25k, it would fly

I would buy one, and actually I have been waiting for this car to be a reality

I think they initially spec'd the price to be around 24k and talked about a pure electric and a hybrid with a longer range

I think the quirky shape would help a car like this, and with 3 wheels its registered as a motorcycle

So, thats my take and I hope it works out, I would like to have one

[RichS]

Originally Posted by jasper

if they could bring an all electric car that is freeway legal to the market for around 25k, it would fly

+1

[...m...]

...venture vehicles / persu mobility haven't made any headway bringing the carver to market here in the 'states, either - i think these types of niche boutique vehicles can and do succeed in europe, just not in the federal market, for many reasons...

[the1sen]

This is kind of like my Diesel question...

Ford Fiesta - sold in Europe now, 67MPG UK, 55MPG US, regular car, not sold in US
VW Polo - sold in Europe now, 70MPG UK, 57MPG US, regular cool car, not sold in US
etc... The list goes on.

The US market is simply not worthy of getting 700 miles to a tank of gas. The technology for Diesel and Diesel hybrids is HERE, TODAY. It's not a $47000 Chevy concept that's on the way, it's here NOW. But mileage is no longer important. If it was, then Nissan and Toyota and Honda could re-release cars of yore with some safety mods and get us upwards of 45MPG with GASOLINE engined cars, and eliminate all this hybrid nonsensical marketing ploy that will only succeed here because of frivolous spenders without foresight for repair costs and overall savings.

The american public would prefer to get a POS SUV for a status symbol that gets 2 gallons/mile, and is legal in California because of semantics.

I mean, I've said it before, it's just like american car company design philosophy, which mirrors gov't philosophy... "Why move forward with design and mileage capabilities when you can recreate a monstrosity from the past?"

This country is destroying itself with desire. It is absolutely SICKENING.

[fitfan]

1sen - i tihnk thoose mpg # are euro - not US. so the exact same car, would have a very different # in the US due to voumn of fuel per gallon and measurment of milage testing methods. anyways - i totaly agree with you.

why can't i get a desiel BMW 1 series wagon?

at least VW has desiel on the way for the new golf audi with the similar platform a3. desiel is the ideal series electric hybrid ICE. since it produces great torq. at the ideal genset RPM range. again - i totaly agree with you.\\that why i realy find the new Lotus series electric hybrid ICE fascinating - its is the first ICE package designed from the ground up to meet the engineering needs of the application - rather than adopting a traditional drivetrain to be used as an range extending part of the genset. (the volt, amazingly as a "ground up design" still is adopting a existing drivetrain for ICE use, and isn't even fully intergrated into the range system.?!?! totaly lame...) the karma at least has the same ICE fully intergrated. or so they promise.

anyways...

i have been following the Aptera for long time.

1. its not a car.... that is a problem.
2. have you seen the foot print of the front track?! i think it is the widest thing on the road
3. ^ the 3 wheeler design is inherntly flawed and requires the above.
4. i believe they adandonded the rwd in favor of fwd to capatalize on regenerative braking, and thet set them back a year - and was an intital criticism of mine.

they have an intial plug in EV, and are planing a series hybrid. giving the limitations of the concept... i think as an city, ev car works - no ones gonna take that thing on a road trip... but the problem is the width of the monster...

and of the day? i think it will be a novelty, probably a lot of them around berkerly... but not in st. louis.....

[Dmbrown34]

I really like the car. I'd be down to get it. It reminds me of when Stewie was a sperm attacking the egg...

If you guys are into family guy you will know what Im talking about.

Emission Impossible - Family Guy Wiki - FOX, Peter Griffin, Stewie, Brian

[Dmbrown34]

This is what the car looks like!

Family Guy: Escaping the Womb | Odeo: Search, Discover and Share Digital Media from Millions of Audio and Video Clips

[wallabyguy]

Matt's right. If they launched now, they would have a chance. The problem is they are now sending the car back to the drawing board to redo some details like windows that fully open. This delay is extending the introduction closer to that of the mainstream manufacturers. Once the larger manufacturers launch their electric cars, they'll loose based on marketing, brand recognition and advertising dollars even if their product is superior.

I really like the product and I'd love to acquire a franchise (at this point they are keeping the network internal and only in California). This latest delay, however, could be just enough for them to loose their advantage.

[Lotus Fury]

You'll find their business here soon enough: