Think advances U.S. plans, will sell full-speed City car in mid-2010
Click above for a gallery of the Th!nk City
Th!nk's Norwegian exodus continues. Th!nk will announce details of its "aggressive expansion plans" next Thursday in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Th!nk CEO Richard Canny and Th!nk product development director Christopher Neal will be on hand to talk to representatives from Michigan and seven other states about "options to bring electric vehicle manufacturing jobs to the U.S." Um, yes please.
Th!nk has said for a while that they plan to bring this all-electric, highway-speed (62 mph top speed) car to America; now we know that the Th!nk City is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in the middle of 2010 (no word on the Th!nk Ox). The City is already available in Norway and we have video proof that this car is fun to drive. With a 112-mile range, this car could be the right alternative for a lot of people. U.S. price? We'll ask Th!nk next week.
[Source: Th!nk]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
chris 4:21PM (3/06/2009)
I cant wait to hear about the price. I'm glad to see an oil producing country like Norway push for electric cars like this; very forward thinking.
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Steve 4:28PM (3/06/2009)
Yes please, can we have them in Seattle ASAP :)
Does anyone have info on pricing? I looked at http://www.think.no/think but there isnt any pricing info :(
It would also be very useful if someone could post info on translating range estimates like FUDS to real world values for somewhere with hills? I have a couple of decent hills to traverse on my way to and from work, and would really like to understand how this would impact the overall range beyond doing the simple energy calcs?
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MT 4:45PM (3/06/2009)
from Wikipedia, FWIW...
"A price list in Norwegian Kroner adds up to NOK 199,000 before optional features, which is approximately $32,500 US, or £16,600 UK, or €24,500. The battery pack will be leased rather than sold to purchasers. The fee will be NKR 975 per month ($160, £81, EUR120). This price is valid only in Norway.
Think CEO Jan-Olaf Willums indicated that the City will sell in the US for $15,000 - $17,000, with a Mobility Fee of $100-$200 per month to lease the batteries that may also include Wireless and Car Insurance."
A mid-2008 blog entry on ABG mentioned they hoped to sell it in the US for under $25k.
PHIL EASLER 10:49AM (3/09/2009)
Has anyone want heard that Ford is thinking about re-purchasing Th!nk?
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Joakim 5:05PM (3/18/2009)
I have driven the new Think now for about 8000kms . It fulfils the expectations of any other car. Hills no worry, I've used it to the mountain for skiing, it does 110km/h on the highway and drives like any other small car. With some practice it's quite easy to get more than 180kms on one charge. However this is seldom necessary.
Mark 5:22PM (3/06/2009)
Nice! More choices for electric cars (in North America), the better!
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Stew 8:23PM (3/08/2009)
Very cool, this is the car I've really wanted to make it to the States. I'm in the greater Seattle area as well, so this would be a great place to start selling them.
If they were for sale in Cali first, I would rent a trailer, go buy one and tow it back up here.
Stew
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Mark 8:16PM (3/06/2009)
"A price list in Norwegian Kroner adds up to NOK 199,000 before optional features, which is approximately $32,500 US, or £16,600 UK, or €24,500. The battery pack will be leased rather than sold to purchasers. The fee will be NKR 975 per month ($160, £81, EUR120). This price is valid only in Norway."
Oh..leasing the batteries instead of purchasing? Sorry, not interested at that point. Full-out purchase or no deal.
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Ben 10:07PM (3/06/2009)
Yipes if I have no choice but to lease the batteries AND buy the electric I might as well go buy a Weego! (Or build my own electric car.)
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Herm 7:36AM (3/07/2009)
That has to be an inflated Norwegian cost, I am sure it will be a lot cheaper in the US.. at least I hope so.. imagine if the car without batteries was under $6k, and why not?, it can potentially be a very simple car.
Leasing the batteries assures you of always having the latest tech in batteries, and it makes sense since it is the most expensive part of an electric car.
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Mark 12:14PM (3/07/2009)
The last time that car companies "leased" an electric car, they ended up recalling and trashing them.
There's no guarantee that they won't do that again. I won't take the chance at it either.
Sasparilla 11:36PM (3/07/2009)
)) Has anyone want heard that Ford is thinking about re-purchasing Th!nk? ((
That would be absolutely classic and it would be a good deal for Ford - they paid for the most of the current Think City's development anyways.
But it would also amount to them as a company admitting they made a mistake in selling Think after the City had been developed and ready for production...I just couldn't see the big ego's able to handle that.
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Rain 4:14AM (3/08/2009)
I can imagine little Billy junior crying himself to sleep at night in the arms of his cuddly bear over selling Think.