REPORT: Detroit Electric signs deal with Proton, plans two new electric cars

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green

Last September, the revived Detroit Electric brand announced in Malaysia that it planned to produce a new line of electric vehicles by the end of 2009. At the time, nothing was official, but the electric cars on display were based on the guts of Proton Savvy and Persona sedans, leading us to wonder if there was a deal between Detroit Electric and the Malaysian automaker. Apparently, there is.

The two companies have announced that they will jointly create two electric vehicles under the Detroit Electric brand called the e46 and e63 (with apparent apologies to Mercedes-Benz), both based on existing Proton models. Various countries in Europe and Asia will get first crack at the EVs beginning in February of 2010. U.S. sales are expected to begin three to six months later.

The least expensive model is said to have a range of about 110 miles and will reportedly cost around $23,000. A higher-spec model will boast a 200 mile range and sell for around $30K. The upstart automaker has ambitions of selling 40,000 units in its first year and 270,000 by 2012.

[Source: Financial Times, Paul Tan]

REPORT: Detroit Electric signs deal with Proton, plans two new electric cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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