Garia Luxury Golf Car

Targeting the luxury golf car segment Denmark based Garia had their world premiere for their Garia golf car.

… The Garia features a double wishbone front suspension similar to those found in sports cars and inspired by Formula 1 cars. The drive train is built by an Italian company that also produces Ducati gearboxes. The aluminum profiles in the frame are made by the same company that supplies aluminum profiles to Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo. Hydraulic brakes on all four wheels with discs in the front and drums at the rear. The Garia is manufactured at the Valmet Automotive factory in Finland, manufacturer of the Porsche Cayman and Porsche Boxster.

Top it all off with an in-built refrigerator, hand-stitched seats and an exclusive personalization program where you can choose to have The Garia painted in your favorite color or matched to your other cars.

The vehicle features a 4hp AC motor and is powered by six 8 volt Trojan batteries. The base MSRP for the Garia is $17,499.

In March 2010 at the Geneva Auto Show Garia will launch an LSV version of the vehicle for the US market.

Learn more: Garia.com

ZENN announced that it will be stopping production of their LSV in April 2010. As had been reported earlier the company is shifting it’s focus to the development of electric drivetrains based on EEStor technology. The company reports selling about 500 of their LSVs in three years.

Learn more: Reuters.com

In another story about phasing out a vehicle, a careful examination of ZAP’s most recent quarterly findings, seem to indicate that they will be phasing out their three-wheeled Xebra model. From their 10-Q for the quarter ending September 30, 2009:

The decrease of $1.5 million (in revenue) is primarily due to the phase out of our three wheeled Xebra vehicle with reduced selling prices.

In addition the company appears to be putting less emphasis on development of the Alias model.

Research and development expenses decreased by $57,000 from $138,000 in 2008 to $81,000 for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009. The decrease was due to less work on the development of the Alias prototype vehicle

Learn more: thetruthaboutcars.com

A recent story in the Wall Street Journal focuses on a back to the country movement by “ruralpolitans”, people moving from cities and towns into more rural areas.  The ruralpolitans can be split into three groups:  young people buying land as an asset or investment,  exurban commuters hoping to escape sprawl; and back-to-the-land types, sometimes referred to as hobby farmers.  The trend is being driven by both the old and young.  Baby boomers are the biggest driver but 20 and 30 somethings whose less tangible investments took a hit in the recession are also a force.

The ruralpolitan trend is impacting not only rural real estate markets but ancillary markets like utility vehicles.  Manufacturers are taking notice and responding to this growing segment.

Manufacturers also are tweaking seats and designs to suit this new generation of first-time users, including females. “We took a lot of women out on tests to make sure the vehicles are still badass for guys but comfortable enough for a woman to drive every day,” says Aaron Hanlon, product manager for Cub Cadet Utility Vehicles, a brand of MTD Products Inc. Polaris Industries Inc., known for its powerful off-road utility vehicles, this month is rolling out its first low-maintenance, eco-model: an all battery-powered ride called the Ranger EV.

Learn more:  WSJOnline.com

Korean neighborhood electric vehicle manufacturer CT&T is still looking for plant sites in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas.  The company plans to open 30 to 40 sales and assembly locations throughout the US eventually but has not yet broken ground on the first one.  Previously the company had announced orders for 4,000 of their vehicles for California police departments and another 27,000 bound for the US in the short term. Learn more:  PittsburghLive.com

Comment: It remains to be seen if these various plans and vehicle sales come to fruition.  I recently checked the SEC filings of T3 Motion, the exclusive distributor for CT&T vehicles for the security market segment, and their most recent quarterly findings indicated no significant revenue from CT&T vehicles.  I followed up with a phone call to T3 Motion’s CEO and founder Ki Nam.  He confirmed that there have been no significant vehicle sales and that they have received only a small number of vehicles.  They are currently working with CT&T to make some vehicle modifications to better meet the needs of the security market customer. – Marc Cesare

Farmers Weekly Interactive from the UK recently tested and reviewed five utility vehicles including  the Massey Ferguson 20MD, Kawasaki Mule 4010 Trans 4×4, Kubota RTV 900, John Deere Gator XUV 850D and JCB Groundhog 4×4.  The article includes a video of some of the vehicles undergoing testing.  Learn more:  FWI.co.uk

A recent story about the energy plans of a Wisconsin town highlight a continuing trend in the STOV market.  Whether it is municipalities, universities or federal agencies, the drive to more efficiently use energy and/or be more “green” is increasing the demand for electric powered low speed vehicles.  In this case, the replacement of fleet vehicles with NEVs is one of a number of initiatives that the town of Oconomowoc is using to reduce their energy consumption.  Learn more:  istockanalyst.com

Kawasaki has added four special edition graphic packages for their 2010 Teryx 750 FI 4×4.

These unique new immersion graphics packages offer a unique diamond plate pattern that is chemically bonded to colored basecoat paint.  The finished product offers a durable, high-gloss, automotive quality surface that looks similar to anodized aluminum diamond plate, but is actually smooth to the touch and easy to clean.

The graphic packages are available in Diamond Blue, Diamond Red, Diamond Silver and Diamond Black and increases the color options for the Teryx recreation utility vehicle to ten in total.  Learn more:  UTVWeekly.com

Driven by sharp increases in commodity prices, Club Car announced that prices 2010 for golf cars and utility vehicles will increase about 2.5% immediately.  The main commodities contributing to the price increase are lead, copper and aluminum.  According to the report Club Car annually uses approximately 20 million pounds of lead for batteries, eight to 10 million pounds of aluminum for vehicle chassis and significant amounts of copper for wiring in electric motors and other components.  In the last year commodity costs have increased an estimated 35% for lead, 50% for copper and 15% for aluminum.  Learn more:  Blogs.augusta.com-Scuttlebiz

Comment: It will be interesting to see if E-Z-Go or other manufacturers, especially electric vehicle manufacturers follow suit.  If the economy improves over the next year it is likely to drive demand for these commodities even higher. – Marc Cesare

Recent reports indicate that three-wheeled, electric vehicle maker Aptera is having development and financial difficulties. The founders have reportedly been pushed out and staff has been cut. Changes to the vehicle design to widen the vehicle’s appeal has delayed the launch date significantly and created more capital demands in the middle of a poor investment climate. Loans from the US government’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program is potentially a source for cash infusion. Learn more: Autogloggreen

Indiana, Michigan and Oregon have made Think’s final list of states for their electric vehicle plant.  The company is also in the early stages of applying for loans from the US government under what is believed to be the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program.

Indiana could be the front runner among the states since battery manufacturer Ener1, which is a battery supplier for Think and owns a 31% stake in the company, will be producing the batteries in Indiana.  Another Think battery supplier, A123 Systems, is located in Michigan.  The weight of the vehicle battery packs makes shipping distance and costs a significant issue when deciding plant location.  Learn more:  Earth2tech.com