New Automaker to Build Green Cars at Former GM Plant in Louisiana
A shuttered General Motors plant in Louisiana will reopen soon but under new ownership. V-Vehicle Co., a new U.S. car maker says it will soon start building environmentally friendly cars at the facility thanks to a major investment by Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens. The company has also hired on former Mazda design boss Tom Motano, the man who penned the Miata, to design the cars.
CEO Frank Varasano, a former VP at Oracle, says the information on the new car will be released soon and that the production is scheduled to start before the end of 2010.
San Diego-based V-Vehicle Co. expects to hire as many as 1,400 workers in Louisiana to assemble the cars.
“The goal of the company is to provide the American buyer greater product value and a superior automotive experience,” the company said in a statement. “VVC will produce a high-quality, environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient car for the U.S. market.”
Along with an investment from T. Boone Pickens, additional funding will come from venture capitalists Ray Lane and John Doerr. Plant-owner James Davison is also listed as an investor.
[Source: Automotive News]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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The vehicle will NOT be made at a "shuttered General Motors plant" in Louisiana. It will open in the former Guide building in Monroe. The only GM plant in Louisiana and, frankly, the only other automotive plant in that state, is in Shreveport. That facility is on temporary shutdown until Aug. 10. The shutdown began June 15. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!
Smart comes to mind. When I think of Oracle (Varasano) and BP Capital Management (Pickens), the term "losing money" never enters my head. So now they're going to make money building fun and environmentally responsible cars? Where do I send my resume?