Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: Electric cars marked down on aisle 6
Might your next (first?) electric vehicle purchase be transacted at Wal-Mart? It's not out of realm of possibility. Mexican company, GS Motors, is already selling 3 different models from China's First Auto Works (FAW) at a so-called "big box" retail chain in Mexico and has plans to replicate the strategy north of their border. Company CEO Kathleen Ligocki says, "I think the product will be ready for the U.S. market within five years." Starting next year, the Chinese designs are expected to be assembled at a factory in Michoacan, Mexico that will be capable of building 100,000 units per annum. FAW, if you're keeping score, is the company the makes the NEV sold as the ZX40 by Miles Automotive. Now, we're not suggesting that Miles is currently involved in any talks with GS Motors, only that the connection is there.
FAW is not the only Chinese automaker looking for an American foothold either. Well known to our readers, BYD is another company with somewhat desirable electric cars and a commitment to compete in the U.S. Their retail sales strategy has yet to be revealed, but we can only imagine they would explore different options. As for the American big box stores, would they consider selling electric cars? Wal Mart said it would and Sam's already has.
Gallery: Miles ZX40 electric vehicle
[Source: Gasgoo / Automotive News sub req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
jharlan 1:08PM (2/10/2009)
The demand is already there for practical, extended range, freeway legal EVs, And this is a race to the death for auto makers. Are we really going to let the Chinese win? I'm rooting for the home team in spite of their losing record.
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Sal 2:45AM (2/12/2009)
Stick with GM and Ford. The Hell with WALMART and the Hell with RED CHINA, JAPAN and KOREA.
Bring back a strong United States by buying AMERICAN.
r_zappa99 8:45PM (8/22/2009)
Jharlan, are you serious? look at that thing would you drive that POS on the highway? that thing is a death mobile....
Brandon 3:29PM (2/10/2009)
Really, a car designed in China, built in Mexico, and sold at Walmart?! That is about as bad as it could get. I wouldn't buy a bicycle that was designed in China, built in Mexico, and sold at Walmart, let alone a car! It already seems like half of the car salesman I talk to are completely incompetant, the people that Walmart would hire would take that to a new level. And if you think GM built some disposable cars in the 90's, imagine what kind of disposable car this will be.
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annoymous 4:01AM (2/12/2009)
Brandon, you said it all and made me laugh in the proccess. i like the way you think, very cute
gorr 5:15PM (2/10/2009)
That's the best place to buy any car, no gimmick, just a selling price.
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Chris M 9:48PM (2/10/2009)
Saturn also has a "no gimmick set price" policy at their dealers, and the firms with direct sales usually sell that way, too.
My experience with Walmart has been low prices on low quality goods. I'd never go there to buy something that really needed to be reliable, like a car.
gorr 12:03AM (2/11/2009)
The commercialisation of cars with differents methods then before is already started.
R Gabriel 10:52PM (2/11/2009)
Go ahead buy from Wal-Mart and when it breaks, good luck with the warranty, but
again who needs a warranty on a /a throw away car/.
DanY 8:07PM (2/10/2009)
Sounds like a genius (seriously) thing to do. If Home Depot sells trailers why wally shouldn't sell NEVs? Simplify the registration process, give people plates on the spot and off you go! No middle man in form of a bloated black suit dealership will help to keep the price just above the cost. Its a great way to introduce public to electric vehicles. Wouldn't it be cool to have a little electric "Smart" on your shopping list for a 2nd or 3rd family car to get kids to and from school and other local commute? The range doesn't matter as long as the price tag has a yellow :)
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wave54 9:31PM (2/10/2009)
The title of the article seems a bit deceptive since FAW is building gas-powered cars in Mexico that will probably be sold in the US someday. There isn't even a hint that they will be building EVs, despite the fact that they DO supply Miles with the ZX40 from China.
http://www.chinacarforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3416
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MikeInNC 9:12AM (2/11/2009)
I can see that happening. I walked into Northern Tool the other day and they had an electric scooter there (looked like the same maker as Tank Scooters) that had a top speed of 20mph and a range of 30 miles for $599. Reviews make it a bit suspect at this point though.
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200367475_200367475
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Michele 11:06AM (4/15/2009)
I have one of those electric scooters but they are not street legal in New York. A cop pulled me over and said I cannot drive it anywhere but my own property. So it has been sitting in my garage for 2 years. I also have a 2005 Miles electric car but I cannot find replacement batteries for it anywhere. It also sits in my garage. So now I have wasted lots of money on trying alternative green transportation. I am very frustrated!!
Bill 2:14PM (2/11/2009)
No Chinese-made car has yet come close to meeting U.S. spec crash-test standards.
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Sal 2:47AM (2/12/2009)
Stick with GM and Ford. The Hell with WALMART and the Hell with RED CHINA, JAPAN and KOREA.
Bring back a strong United States by buying AMERICAN.
Snoopy 4:17PM (2/11/2009)
Personally, I don't like to buy anything at Walmart if I can manage it. I couldn't really see myself purchasing an NEV there either. I'm totally with Chris M's comment on quality too. To me, Walmart is the Dell of the retail world, except that you don't always have the option of paying the higher price for a higher quality product.
Still, the concept of big box stores selling cars is intriguing. There's that benefit of the set price mentioned before, but the issue of the lack of possibilities for haggling.
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Terence P 5:54PM (2/11/2009)
We could build inexpensive cars in the US, it's easy...
Rip-off designs from leading global manufacturers. Ignore any intellectual property and patent laws. Pay 8 year olds almost nothing to build cars and fire them if they get sick. Of course no benefits for anyone and forget about providing a safe environment.
China is growing at our expense. Of course we can't compete, we are playing by different rules. Companies like GS and Miles are preying on the American people and should be investigated and dealt with for providing a product that potentially violates international human rights...
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HotRod 9:32PM (2/11/2009)
I had family members working for the auto industry in the late 70's. They complained about the pay, a mere $20-$30 range /hour when others made half that. And oh by the way, they went on strike for "higher wages". Our own greed did this to our country! Of course they got higher wages which led to higher prices on the vehicles, consumers complain, etc. It is a never ending cycle. We COULD compete, but nobody wants to work for peanuts anymore.
As for buying anything from Wal-mart....well they sell a lot of the same things the other big boxes sell to include Target except at a less expensive price! You must have the big bucks and it doesn't matter where you shop. Others are not that fortunate. If I can save a buck, I save a buck. I take care of my family and served 20+ years in the military to include the Desert Storm and all of the following. We need a serious over-haul of our economy starting from the top to the bottom! Wal-mart is trying to be a part of the solution! Not adding to the problem!
NICOLE 12:23AM (2/12/2009)
What do you think GM does? The pay coke heads 80 grand here for playing poker and then send the actual labor jobs to Mexico and pay the people there 25 cents an hour if the people are "lucky". It seems like Walmart would love to sell GM cars, they ARE ALREADY made in sweat shops in Mexico and whatever the north americans do to them falls apart the first week.
serge 8:18PM (2/11/2009)
It might work unles it it has to much lead and weights to much
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