Detroit Electric recently partnered with Malaysian company Proton Holdings in a joint venture with the intent of producing an all electric vehicle. Detroit Electric would provide the means of propulsion, while Proton Holdings would supply a working chassis from a production vehicle.
Additional details regarding the specifics of the vehicle have been released. Detroit Electric will use existing Proton models, the Proton Persona and the Proton GEN2, to retrofit with an electric package and plans to offer the electric vehicle early next year as the Detroit Electric e63 and e46.
The first vehicle will be a compact sedan and is expected to be sold at a price between $24,000 and $26,000. It will have a range of 110 miles for the base version. Uprated versions have additional battery capacity for $4,000 to $6,000 above the base price and will have a range of 200 miles. The vehicle is powered by a lithium polymer battery pack. Detroit Electric plans to add a hatchback model to the lineup later on.
Initially, the vehicle will be available in the U.S., Europe, and China. Volume is expected at 40,000 units initially with the possibility of increasing to 100,000 units per year. The car is expected to hit showrooms in the first or second quarter of 2010.
Source: Paultan.org
