Spy Shots: Phoenix Motorcars SUV
by Alex Nunez on Jul 20th 2008 at 12:07PM 
Click above image to enlarge
Blogger extraordinaire Mickey Kaus recently spied the above SUV innocuously parked in Santa Monica and sent us the photos, wondering if we had any clue what it is. As luck would have it, we do. The truck is a SsangYong Actyon SUV, but it's also more than that. You see the Actyon, in both SUT and SUV body styles, is the basis for Phoenix Motorcars' electric SUT and SUV, which are scheduled to arrive in the U.S. in 2010. The white example Mickey snagged had been de-badged, which lends it an air of mystery, but we know SsangYong's not coming to the U.S. market.
As our esteemed colleague Sam Abuelsamid points out, Phoenix is based in Ontario, CA so it's basically a lock that this is one of their EV development mules. Using the SsangYong trucks as the basis for their electric utility vehicles has two distinct benefits for Phoenix. First, they offer proven, practical and usable packaging that'll work fine in the real world. Second, their front-end styling is bizarre enough that the unwritten rule which states that EVs have to look weird will surely be upheld. Obviously, those Tesla guys, with their sexy-spiffy Roadster, didn't get that memo.
You can check Mickey out every day at Kausfiles, and, on occassion, at Bloggingheads.tv as well. Thanks for the photos!
[Source: Mickey Kaus]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
EVan 8:33AM (7/21/2008)
Uh... how is this news? There's no need to take "spy shots" when the car has been viewable on their website for last two years.
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Jim Dale 11:36PM (7/21/2008)
If it had a tailpipe, it's not from Phoenix Motorcars.
Those are totally BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle).
http://phoenixmotorcars.com
Phoenix has been waiting for the Gen2 NanoSafe batteries from Altair Nanotechnologies (http://altairnano.com) in order to build their first delivery to Pacific Gas & Electric.
Their current target date is Sep/Oct 2008.
If this is from Phoenix MC, it's must be a prototype that one of the Phoenix MC people are driving.
Until sometime next year, they'll mostly just build the SUTs (Sports Utility Trucks), and they'll virtually all be fleet orders for CA buyers (which gets them ZEV-III credits from the state of CA).
The only person I know of outside of Phoenix MC who owns one is Ed Begley, Jr., but his is the prototype you've probably seen in many photos (including the video on the White House lawn).
His prototype is slightly different from the final versions.
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Jim Dale 12:36AM (7/22/2008)
It's not from Phoenix Motorcars (making it more unusual) ...
It's missing the Phoenix logo on the "bird's head".
Actually, the whole front grid matches the wings of the Phoenix logo but the "head" of the bird is missing.
Phoenix supplies the bird's head via their round icon positioned there.
See http://phoenixmotorcars.com
Phoenix completed all the crash-tests, so maybe that now enables anyone to import a SsangYong Actyon (while they couldn't previously).
I heard a story where Bill Gates tried to import some expensive car but they wouldn't let him until that car had passed some crash tests.
(I guess nobody had imported one before.)
To do those crash-tests, Gates would have had to buy two more of them ... just to have them destroyed in the crash-tests.
As rich as he is, he decided it wasn't worth it.
Seeing as these (in my opinion) are not Phoenix Motorcars, I think that makes these photos even MORE unusual.
Photos of Phoenix SUT & SUV are not that rare.
I have a photo of myself leaning on one.
I have photos my brother Bill took of multiple Phoenix SUTs sitting around covered with dust after their staff had taken them out on long errands across the CA, New Mexico and/or Nevada deserts.
They're quite candid ... with all kinds of junk (maps, candy wrappers, etc.) sitting on the dash .. like right after camping out for 18 days at the Kerrville Folk Festival.
I even have a photo of Phoenix's Bryon Bliss opening up the back of a chrome semi trailer with huge pictures of the red & white Phoenix "Darkside" right in front of the shop where Bill is building an EV out of a BMW.
Inside the semi was (of course) that same "Darkside" prototype.
(They brought it over for Bill's birthday so people could take test drives.)
http://systemagicmotives.com/Altairnative%20Site/Power/Power%20Partners/phoenix2.htm
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_%28A_to_Z%29/Stocks_A/threadview?m=tm&bn=22143&tid=151952&mid=151952&tof=-1&rt=1&frt=2&off=1
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Dave Schrock 9:00AM (7/25/2008)
Jim said:
"I have photos my brother Bill took of multiple Phoenix SUTs sitting around covered with dust after their staff had taken them out on long errands across the CA, New Mexico and/or Nevada deserts.
They're quite candid ... with all kinds of junk (maps, candy wrappers, etc.) sitting on the dash .. like right after camping out for 18 days at the Kerrville Folk Festival."
Are these online somewhere? I'd like to see some of the other exterior colors available "in person" so to speak rather than just the small images at Phoenix's website. Any SUV images available?
Best,
Dave
BG Auto 9:41PM (8/04/2008)
Please read-Americans need to know!!!!!!!!
NHTSA Hearings 8/4/08
I just returned from the NHTSA hearings held today (August 4, 2008) in Washington D.C., regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for NEW Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards (CAFÉ) for years 2011-2015.
IMPORTANT FACTS: You will not believe what you are reading.
1) The 414 pages DEIS analysis was based on an average gasoline price of USD $2.16/gallon for 2011-2020. A calculation approved by the NHTSA administrators/managers. Would you believe it???????????
2) The new CAFÉ rules were also established, negotiated and pre-approved by the NHTSA’s management along with the influence of domestic automotive companies and their lobbyists. We have now established fuel standards for 2011-2020 that are presently met throughout the rest of the Western world (see elow)
As one guest speaker said today “are they on another planet?”
NHTSA “NEW Fuel Standards” (2011-2015) decision:
Automobiles are to achieve 31.2 mpg by 2011 and 35.7 mpg by 2015. Light trucks are to achieve 25 mpg by 2011, and 28.6 mpg by 2015.
The NTHSA is also setting a goal of 35 mpg on average for 2020.
America needs to know:
The European Union is currently establishing standards, with a goal of reaching 48.9 miles per gallon for new passenger vehicles as early as 2012. The current EU standard already requires more than 40 miles per gallon about 15% higher than the U.S. goal set for 12 years from now.
Japan currently has a standard of about 40 miles per gallon. Japan aims to further improve fuel efficiency by 17% by 2015, reaching 46.9 miles per gallon.
China has a current average of slightly under 35 miles per gallon. Chinese fuel standards are on target to reach the government’s goal of 35.8 miles per gallon by 2009. China will not only meet, but exceed, the goal just established by the United States for 2020 — more than a full decade earlier.
Australia is targeting 34.4 miles per gallon by 2010.
Canada is targeting 34.1 miles per gallon by 2010.
Under the current administration, purchasing an electric vehicle is becoming more of a necessity rather than an alternative.
BG Automotive Group, Ltd. (http://www.bgelectriccars.com/)
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