![[Valid Atom 1.0]](valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 1.0 feed")
Production - Brazil - Brazilian start-up offers minicar for land of SUVs
SAO PAULO, Brazil -Reuters, by Todd Benson -Oct 30, 2005: -- When a little-known company from California placed a $1 billion order for Smart minicars from DaimlerChrysler last spring, the struggling auto giant said thanks, but no thanks... So the company, an environment conscious alternative vehicles distributor called ZAP, went shopping, and found what it was looking for -- in Brazil. There, a small start-up called Obvio! was busy developing a sporty and economical minicar for export... Desperate for lucrative minicar orders from dealers in the United States, ZAP gambled on Obvio!'s slick designs and in September bought 20 percent of the Brazilian company, even though it has never put a car on the road. ZAP also ordered 50,000 minicars, allowing Obvio! to benefit from Daimler's retreat... "What we're getting here is Italian-style quality that people know and love -- with Chinese pricing," said Steve Schneider, ZAP's chief executive... In fact, ZAP's Schneider says demand for the off-beat cars is so hot that he has stopped taking orders for now... he said, "These vehicles give you the capacity to be noticed without being too pretentious."...
posted by Unknown @ 4:27 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home