The Auto Writer

Early last week rumors began to surface that Th!nk Automotive, a Norwegian electric car manufacturer was getting ready to make an important announcement. Word was leaking out that the company was going to inform the world that it had selected a US production facility, with Louisiana the probable location for the plant. Th!nk has yet to build a production vehicle, but they’ve been looking at several facilities with an announcement expected any day.

Not Th!nk, Rather VVC

Well, to my astonishment – and I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one surprised – it wasn’t Th!nk’s announcement that was forthcoming, rather a little known company by the name of V-Vehicle Company (VVC) announced that they had reached an agreement with the state of Louisiana and the local area of Monroe, LA to occupy an existing manufacturing plant in Monroe. Governor Bobby Jindal held a press conference where he declared that Louisiana and Monroe were contributing funds and tax cuts to VVC in a bid to bring a second car plant to the city.

V-Vehicle Co., is based in San Diego, California but they don’t build a single car yet. One of its main partners is T. Boone Pickens, the Texas billionaire, a long time gas and oil executive who is also an environmentalist. The “Pickens Plan” was hatched last year as an initiative to help reduce America’s dependency on foreign oil while harnessing wind power and the one fuel source in abundance in the US – natural gas.

Skeptical? You Bet!

And, it is compressed natural gas that may power the VVC model if and when it does come to market. But, if you visited Automotive News at some point last week, you would have found that more than half of its readers were skeptical that the VVC would ever produce one car.

So why the skepticism? Probably for a number of reasons including:

Who Is VVC? – So far, VVC hasn’t built anything and it isn’t known who is behind the company other than some wealthy investors. However, former Mazda design chief Tom Matano’s name has been mentioned, the guy behind the successful Mazda Miata roadster. Word has it that Matano’s imprint will be on the new model which would be good considering the Miata’s ongoing success.

Promising Big! – VVC says that they will produce an “environmentally friendly” vehicle and that production will begin in eighteen months. Since the lead time to get a new vehicle to the market is typically three years or longer, VVC’s plans seem ambitious to say the least.

Whatcha Got? – Automotive critics are notoriously critical when anyone says that they will build something and when the product is introduced (a big IF in this case, perhaps) the let down is notable. But, VVC says that they need to keep their product plans under wraps so that the competition won’t know what they’re building, although we do know that it will be a mid-size model.

What About Th!nk?

While doubts are being raised about VVC, that still doesn’t answer the question about Th!nk and their plans. Since sharing this past March that the company planned to build its EV in the US, no follow up announcement has surfaced. And, unlike VVC which apparently has deep pockets as well as government support, Th!nk has been struggling financially and is seeking a new round of funding to keep the company afloat.

Photo Credit: Svilen Mushkatov

See Also — Compressed Natural Gas Camry Headed to L.A.