There’s a new player in the electric car market this year, but its long-term plans don’t necessarily include trying to unseat other brand’s stake in the burgeoning market.

Coda is a small electric car manufacturer based in California that started selling its self-titled 2012 Coda EV just this year. As anyone who knows the auto industry will say, the barriers to entry for automotive startups are too big for most new comers to climb.

But that’s due in part to the fact that previous stabs involved business to customer sales, leaving those brands looking like so many squashed insects under the big feet of GM and others of its ilk.

That’s where Coda’s unusual revenue strategy comes in. It walks the traditional avenues, yes, but at the same time company executives tell AutoGuide that there’s more to expect.

First, Coda sells its battery technology for uses other than automotive drivetrains. In fact, that part of the business came even before the car existed.

Second, and more importantly, the automaker’s environmentally friendly goal to reduce oil dependence comes above selling its own EV. How so? It’s simple. The drivetrain is for sale separately.

Not in such a capacity that you could buy one and be off to build your own electric go-kart, but the brand is openly willing to let any automaker buy the system to put in future electric cars.

On the sidelines of a recent media drive, Coda marketing exec Thomas Hausch said the brand isn’t advertising the policy aggressively. Instead, the company hopes to prove its drivetrain in the real world. If and when it starts gathering attention from other manufacturers, the idea of powering the competition will come into play.

Actually proving the differences between its drivetrain and the competition is easier said than done, but the car managed to travel 112 miles over the course of our day-long test drive. Other electric cars including the Nissan Leaf came close to meeting their EPA range estimates but didn’t beat them.

It’s a strategy that might end up paying big dividends because of key differences between its propulsion system and those found in cars like the Ford Focus Electric. Lithium-ion batteries are still the first choice for most automakers. That’s because lithium-ion is capable of storing more energy in a smaller space than Coda’s technology of choice: lithium-iron phosphate.

It takes up more space, which is why Coda’s car was built around the batteries rather than the other way around. That decision allowed for a battery pack that it says will prove to be more resilient in the long run and more capable of maintaining charge capacity over time. 

Long term capacity or more specifically expected long term capacity is becoming something of an issue for certain Nissan leaf owners. As AutoGuide has previously reported, the car’s battery pack seems to suffer lost capacity in hot climates. Some Leaf owners in Arizona are complaining that after only a year of ownership, the car’s pack can’t be completely refilled.

That’s something Coda’s battery chemistry is better suited to handle. Additionally, the car is equipped with a system that keeps those batteries cooled or heated to remain at optimal temperatures regardless of climate.

Furthermore, Hausch said the company is currently hard at work to expand its dealer network. The approach is anything but pushy — instead of trying to foolishly muscle for position, Coda is looking for dealers already experienced in selling electric cars that want more variety.

But how much can a brand like that really expand? Electric cars, after all, are fantastic in California where their drivers enjoy a generous network of charging stations. The same simply isn’t true in less EV-friendly markets, but there are still plenty of places that welcome going gassless.

Hausch told AutoGuide that the company already has more than 30 letters of intent from dealerships interested in adding the Coda EV to their rosters.

That expansion will certainly take time, but with its plan already in action, the future could be bright for Coda. Then again, it would be far from the first startup automaker to find swimming with bigger fish unsustainable.

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Many car enthusiasts would argue that perhaps the only true supercar to have ever been made in America was the Saleen S7.

This carbon-fibered, mid-engined rocket ship was not only a very capable street car, but was also a very successful racing car, winning many races in the FIA GT Championship, not to mention impressive results at the Sebring 12-hour race and at the LeMans 24-hour race.

There truly has been no American car to have accomplished what this car did in its short life time, so what many had been wondering is, will there be a sequel?

Back in 2008, Saleen had shown its next supercar, and it was called the S5S Raptor(shown above). This was a lighter and smaller car than the S7, and would have been priced at a more accessible level so it could compete with cars like the Ferrari F430, rather than going head-to-head with the $1-million Enzo.

However, there was trouble brewing over at Saleen. Steve Saleen, the man who started the company and built its reputation was forced out by its new partners, so the company that bared his name was no longer being run by him.

Not the type to stand still, Mr. Saleen started a new company called SMS Supercars, and started from scratch, but rather than just modify the Ford Mustang (which is what he based most of his Saleen business on), this time he modified the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger too.

While he could have been content running his new business, he wanted to win the rights to his name back and started a legal case to that effect. Just earlier this year, he got what he worked for. Mr. Saleen is back in control of the Saleen brand, and now he is talking about producing another supercar.

In a recent interview, Saleen mentioned that he is still “planning on doing something like that (S5S).” While he wouldn’t reveal much detail about his new supercar, he did say that when it arrives, it’ll probably have a new name.

Saleen will make a formal announcement regarding its future plans within the next three months, so we will have to wait and see what he has in store for us.

With his impressive reputation, we are sure his next supercar will be every bit as exciting as the S7. Can’t wait.

[Source: AutoWeek]

It’s hard out there for a sports car manufacturer, especially if it is owned by a larger company.

Lotus has been owned by the Malaysian car company Proton since 1995, when the company was bought from the then bankrupting Bugatti (which itself got eventually bought out by VW).

Over the last 17-years, Lotus has not made a profit for its parent company. That was not such a big deal since Lotus was seen as more of a high-class brand name for the Malaysian state-owned Proton. However, just earlier this year, Proton sold its 42.7% stake in Lotus to DRB-Hicom, one of the largest private companies in Malaysia. Generally, private companies are much more concerned with making a profit rather than owning a company just for its prestige.

Now word comes from Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, that the future of Lotus’ production is in jeopardy, as development for new models like the updated Esprit have been suspended. In fact, Bahar was “completely taken aback” when he learned at the Geneva Auto Show, that the entire Proton group would enter a three-month “lockdown.”

That means, only normal trading activities would be allowed, hence all future developments have been suspended. This lockdown will even effect its recently announced models like the Exige S and the Evora GTE. The new Esprit will now likely be pushed to a 2014 launch, which means the concept would be nearly five-years old when it hits the road.

That is, if DRB-Hicom even decides to keep Lotus. Rumors suggest that they will want to off-load the unprofitable Lotus brand, which means Bahar has to find a savior for Lotus very quickly.

For now, Lotus’ motor sport activities, the opening of their new showroom on Regent Street in London, and its participation at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed as the featured marque will continue. Let’s hope Lotus can survive through its current dilemma.

GALLERY: Lotus Esprit

[Source: Evo]

German auto giant Volkswagen is already Europe’s largest auto manufacturer, but it won’t rest until it becomes the worlds largest producer of cars.

To achieve its goals, it needs to do very well in America, a market where it hasn’t made a profit since 2003, despite moving 256,830 units in 2010.

VW wants to sell three times as many cars to American households, roughly 800,000 units per year. To achieve this vast goal, Volkswagen groups CEO for America, Jonathan Browning says he wants to increase the number of dealerships.

Currently there are about 600 VW dealerships in America, and while that number will remain the same for the next few years, Browning says that by 2014/15 he hopes to add dealers across the nation to meet their goals.

VW looks set to shift 300,000 units for 2011. Browning adds that 2011 will once again return a profit for this German brands operation in the U.S.

[Source: Carscoop]

There was a time, some 35-odd years ago, when the only engines found under the hood of a Volvo were four-cylinder units. Some were naturally aspirated, and some were boosted via a turbo-charger.

However, due to the demands and pressures from customers and share holders, Volvo started producing five-cylinder, six-cylinder engines. They even got Yamaha to design and build them a V8.

But that is all about to change for its future. According to industry sources, Volvo will not be employing any engine larger than a four-cylinder by 2020. Volvo is looking to develop a line of three-cylinder and four-cylinder motors. To get extra power, they will be turbo-charged, and diesels are also on the menu card.

This new engine line is dubbed VEA for Volvo Environmental Architecture. The idea is to reduce green-house emissions via smaller, lighter engines.

These new engines will start appearing by 2013 in a Volvo model near you.

[Source: Automotive News]

We’ve heard about money being invested. We’ve heard about the division getting its own stand alone design operation, but will Ford stick to its guns and view Lincoln as a long-term investment?

Given the short-tenure focus of most US corporations these days, it’s difficult to say at this point, but as one of the oldest nameplates in the business, Ford’s luxury brand definitely deserves a chance.

By installing a core group of executives to run Lincoln, many with international experience and declaring that it’s willing to spend real money on the tooling needed to provide the brand’s vehicles with signature styling outside and in, Ford appears to be moving in the right direction.

Other ideas on the table include eliminating gear levers in all Lincoln vehicles in favor of push buttons, as well as cutting the number of dealers nationwide, down to around 325, which rivals the number of Mercedes-Benz stores in the US.

Additionally, Ford is talking about courting new customers with Lincoln, a sub-set of younger, more affluent buyers than its traditional client base; the result could be a proliferation in product offerings, possibly GT cars and even convertibles.

This so-called sub-set of buyers represents around 25 percent of the luxury market in the US and, currently, the fastest growing in the segment. As a result, the opportunity is there for Lincoln to achieve great things, provided Ford sticks to its plan of creating a ‘proper’ luxury brand.

Look for the first idea of what the “new Lincoln” is all about with the debut of the 2013 MKZ at the Detroit Auto Show in January. One hint that’s slipped out is the MyLincoln Select Drive system, that allows for adjustable suspension, steering and throttle settings.

[Source: Autoblog]