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Saab, Aptera, Think: Can China, Russia Save Electric Cars? Page 2

 
2,272 views Jun 21, 2012
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On that front, China and Russia are ideally positioned for success. Their companies don't carry the baggage that many Western automakers do, meaning that they're more open to experimentation. And China and Russia are home to quite a few wealthy investors, eager to become even wealthier. 

So, while it could be a complete coincidence that Chinese and Russian moguls have turned their attention to electric cars recently, it's possible that this is the shape of things to come. These investors could be laying the groundwork for leading the future EV market -- and without having to reinvent the proverbial wheel (or a car brand).

Are they on track? Could Russian and Chinese brands dominate electric car lots the way that American, European, and other Asian brands do now? Or is the existing competition from Western companies insurmountable? Or, more importantly, are we way off base? Drop us a note, or leave a comment below.







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Comments (7)

  1. fb_100000005296979 avatar Kent Beuchert Posted: 6/21/2012 10:21am PDT

    Another illogical attempt to place the future of electric cars on the shoulders of automakers, companies which have practically zero control over the practicality of EVs. It's the batteries, fellas, the batteries. Everything else can be characterized as essentially insignificant and irrelevant.
     
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  2. Chris O avatar Chris O Posted: 6/21/2012 11:16am PDT

    Good point, it is the batteries. Nobody in China needs Saab to do an EV, nor Aptera (I mean really...). What they need is good, affordable batterytech that would make an EV an affordable, practical mass market proposition, the sort they can't blatantly copy yet simply because it's not quite there yet. So it's safe to assume that when a Chinese front firm bought Saab they had different motives than the notion that this bottomless pit could be a healthy start for what's basically a loosing proposition for most parties at this point anyway: EVs.

    China is not going to save EVs, but EVs could save China at some point once western research finds the miracle battery that could set Chinese mass motorisation on a different track.
     
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  3. fb_100001133620618 avatar Roy Harvie Posted: 6/21/2012 4:32pm PDT

    Don't be so smug about China's ability to innovate. Yes, China is famous for copying, but by doing this they have learned quickly, and they have lots of universities doing advanced research in many areas including batteries. They didn't buy Saab because of its electric know-how, they bought it because it is quicker to bring a car to market with the tooling and most of the design already done. They would not have made the announcement without already having selected the electrical components (Fisker Karma electric motors are made in China, and in fact are a Chinese design) and batteries.
     
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  4. akwaman avatar Carl Cooper Posted: 7/16/2012 12:45pm PDT

    I note in this article that GM is OK with the Chinese buying SAAB because they are going to make it an electric car company. Funny that they are not worried, the same way American automotive companies were not scared of the Japanese cars, that nearly put them all out of business because they were not worried and refused to keep up with the technology and quality. In the automobile industry, you just can't rest on your laurels like the American Auto Industry likes to do. Technology will pass you by. Like it or not, the electric car does make sense, and will be the standard in the near future.
     
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  5. john_v avatar John Voelcker Posted: 7/16/2012 1:35pm PDT

    @Carl: Ummmm, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the first and third modern plug-in cars on the market from American companies?

    And at the moment, hasn't that one of those plug-in cars outsold the other volume entry, the one from Nissan, by roughly 4,000 units as of the end of June in the U.S. market? And would that be the one from, ummmmmmmm, GM?

    It's very early days yet, but I'm just sayin' ....
     
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  6. richard avatar Richard Read Posted: 7/16/2012 2:12pm PDT

    Carl: When we say that GM is "okay" with the Chinese buying Saab, we mean that they are comfortable with the legal aspects of this particular deal. Obviously, they'd rather not face additional competition in the auto market -- what company would? -- but unlike the last proposed buyout of Saab, GM doesn't have much room to complain this go-round.
     
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  7. fb_1302743554 avatar Rainer Dammers Posted: 9/4/2012 10:00am PDT

    I don't believe the existing competition from Western companies insurmountable. If it were we would not have seen Hyundai and Kia emerge to the level they have been able to in this saturated market. It just shows that if you introduce an exciting and innovative product (as Tesla shows it doesn't even have to be affordable)you can move a lot. And with the investment in alternative energy in China and the access to battery technology from e.g. Panasonic/Sanyo, etc. these investors now have all the parts to quickly develop a solid product. @Kent: sure it's the batteries. But if you're a battery company and something up your sleeve there already what you need is a car platform - those aren't easy to develop either, so buying the is a smart move
     
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