Word: reva
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...India over the next two years. Suzuki India, king of the tiny automobile, is investing $2.28 billion in the country over the next five years to upgrade factories and strengthen distribution for a raft of new models. Even GM on Sept. 24 announced an unusual collaboration with Bangalore's Reva Electric Car, makers of the G-Wiz, to produce small, affordable electric vehicles for India. Mulally said recently that India would play a big role in accelerating Ford's presence in the Asia-Pacific region - but the company will have to fight off numerous competitors who are all driving toward...
...cars haven't exactly taken the world by storm. Reva - which has received venture capital from Draper Fisher Jurveston, the Global Environment Fund and Mellon HBV Master Global Event Drive Fund - has sold only 3,000 cars over the past eight years. Half of those have been exported to Europe, mainly to London...
...Reva officials say they are improving their cars and plan to sell 8,000 vehicles next year after the new factory opens. In May, the company began equipping Revas with more-powerful lithium-ion batteries that increase range to 75 miles (120 km). A new model with sportier looks and upgraded electronics is expected to be launched by 2010. (Watch TIME's video about charging your electric car for 60 cents...
...Despite Reva's relatively low cost, consumers may not be convinced, especially in India, that the car can compete against similarly priced gasoline-powered family sedans. "Reva is yet to hit the price-performance equation," says Mohit Arora, senior director for India for J.D. Power market research. According to Pawan Goenka, president of Mahindra & Mahindra's automotive business in Mumbai, "The challenge is to make the economics work in a price-sensitive Indian market." For electric cars, "performance and range are major bottlenecks," he says. (Read "Coming to an Ex-Car Dealer Near You: Pickups from India...
...Reva may have one factor going for it: "It has a first-mover advantage," says Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of Mumbai-based AutoCar magazine. He adds that the Reva could become "the Nano of electric cars," referring to the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, which sells for about $2,000. But that mantle may not have time to stick. India's Tata Motors, in partnership with the Norwegian electric-car research-and-development firm Miljoebil Grenland, plans to launch an all-electric version of the Nano in Norway early next year...