Dodge Viper and Ford GT engineer joins the Aptera development team
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Aptera
People make career changes all the time, but Neil Hannemann is definitely making an extreme one. Hannemann is joining electric vehicle builder Aptera as the new VP of program management and manufacturing. The Aptera is, of course, a lightweight, super aerodynamic, electric three wheeler. Hannemann is a veteran of the Detroit auto industry and was one of the leaders of the team that brought the original Dodge Viper from concept to production in the early nineties. After he left Chrysler, Hannemann moved on to Ford where he led the development team that created the GT, the fastest production model Dearborn ever built. After the GT program concluded, Hannemann decided he wanted to help change the face of transportation. At Aptera he will use his expertise in producing low volume extreme vehicles to help bring the Typ-1 to market.
[Soure: Popular Mechanics, thanks to Matt for the tip]
Chevy Volt's gas tank gets downsized, range drops 300 miles
Rendered Speculation: 2010 Toyota Prius
Production Volt could be the guest of honor at GM Centennial party!
Next-gen Prius to get solar panel to drive accessories
Is Tesla using Dodge Magnum body shells for White Star mules?
Autoblog Green Podcast #24
Popular Mechanics to debunk the "run your car on water" myth
T. Boone Pickens unveils "The Plan" - big on wind power and natural gas
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-23-2008 @ 8:10AM
Throwback said...
Good pickup for Aptera. He has experience in building very desirable niche cars.
Reply
4-23-2008 @ 3:11PM
KarenRei said...
He's a perfect match, too, having worked on other vehicles that have lightweight frames and composite panels.
Aptera has all the money they could ask for for the production phase. They have about as good of a production leader as they could ask for. Things are looking great for them beating the Volt to the market by a solid margin. I'm thrilled :) I can't wait for my chance to do a test drive this summer.
Reply
4-23-2008 @ 5:11PM
Jason said...
I gotta admit, I didn't like the Aptera at first but now it's strangely beautiful to me. I hope they can bring it to market.
Reply
4-23-2008 @ 5:13PM
GoodCheer said...
This does seem like great news. I continue to be very excited to hear about the progress of the Aptera project.
I know getting from a well-engineered prototype to production is much more complicated than a lot of people would think. It's nice to know that they have some additional experience in that department now.
Reply
4-24-2008 @ 5:56PM
Richard said...
He is from Chrysler? Not impressed.
It will be exciting if someone from Toyota joins Aptera.
Reply