AutoblogGreen

1. I kinda like this guy. He's funny, intelligent, and has clearly spent a lot of time here based on his excellent English.

The product still suffers from the usual NEV problems (not cost competitive versus used cars, I can't legally leave my driveway with one, etc)

Posted at 9:11PM on Oct 24th 2007 by Kardax

2. I liked him, too. I just turned the camera on and he launched into this spiel. Very entertaining. More videos from Santa Monica coming in the next day or two...

Posted at 10:39PM on Oct 24th 2007 by Sebastian Blanco

3. While an NEV doesn't help me at the moment - I like this car. It doesn't have the "tarted up golf cart" feel to it, and the price tag doesn't scare people off.

I hope they find a good market for this car!

Posted at 7:45AM on Oct 25th 2007 by Phil L.

4. This is very interesting. The YUGO is baaaaack. If you look at their web site, particularly their "products" page:
http://www.okaauto.com/products.htm

You'll see they seem to want to sell the "Yugo" shell anyway they can - they have a tuned Rally vehicle with an traditional ICE. They even spin SUV to mean Small Universal Vehicle. An a-la-carte options menu too . . . very interesting.

I'm not sure what to think. It seems to be a whole new approach to selling a car - on one hand it seems desperate (lets sell this thing no matter how we can reimagin it) and on the other hand it demonstrates some economies of scale (here one shape/form, lets put and EV or ICE in there, then cut out the back a little and add a box).

The only real issue I think I see is the fact that the car itself is still 10 to 15 years old in design. I know as an NEV its not subject to crash testing and all that, but it still an old design. Are they going to revisit the structure of the vehicle to improve it or are they sticking with the designs they bought from Yugo?

It will be interesting to see where this goes - it has the potential to remain a cheap desperate excuse for a new car, yet it has the potential of getting the foot in the door and moving forward.

Posted at 9:37AM on Oct 25th 2007 by dv

5. How hard would it be to modify NEV's to go a bit faster? I'd be more comfortable with a vehicle that could top out at 35-40mph

Posted at 11:26AM on Oct 25th 2007 by Tush

6. Tush -

Modifying the car isn't the problem: It's the legalities of the situation. Faster vehicles need to comply with safety regulations (crash testing, airbags, crumple zones, etc.) that NEVs generally can't meet.

If you modify your NEV to go 40 - and don't get caught (or have an accident) - good for you. But if a bunch of people do it, there will quickly be a crackdown. So NEV makers have been careful to include speed controllers in their designs.

Posted at 12:30PM on Oct 25th 2007 by Phil L.

7. I used to work in Russia and these little cars were all over. Dirt cheap and still not a good deal. The gas models were known to last only 50-60,000 kilometers before the thing fell apart. They were the Dollar Store disposable razor of the Russian auto scene.

And about as safe as letting your infant suck on Chinese toys.

Posted at 3:15PM on Oct 25th 2007 by jg3

8. Here's a crash test. (In Russian)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UaLXp0iDuU

Posted at 3:25PM on Oct 25th 2007 by jg3

9. jg3 -

thanks for finding that video. I've added it to the main post.

Posted at 4:49PM on Oct 25th 2007 by Sebastian