JAN 18

One of the surprises at this year's NAIAS was the presence of several companies with exclusively electric vehicle lines. Tesla has been at the show regularly for the past few years, but this year also saw the presence of several electric vehicle (EV) companies on the main floor. One of these companies is Coda, a company that has just a single model at the present time (the website refers to "The Car", singular).

The Coda is largely manufactured in China. The company website says that, "Our chassis and body (glider) are manufactured at an existing facility we lease and operate in China... we ship the glider to California, where we install the energy storage system, and complete vehicle assembly. The final inspection and quality assurance processes also take place in California." However, they also note that, "The majority of the vehicle’s key electric drive components are manufactured in the United States."

Coda does not have particularly distinctive styling; it's a stealth EV in that sense, looking more like a generic compact car, rather than a distinctively recognizable car like a Volt or a Prius or a LEAF. The car is a 5-seater with a range of up to 150 miles. The battery is lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) with a capacity of 36 kWh. The base price for the Coda is $39,900.

It will be interesting to see if Coda is able to get a foothold in markets in the US or elsewhere.  Is this the beginning of something new, or just a blip in the turbulent automotive world?

Comments (5)

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written by gropen, January 19, 2012

Expect to see large numbers of mongware EVs arrive over the next few years. China will eventually own this market completely.

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A car that looks budget but has a premium price
written by Martin, January 20, 2012

I don't get CODA. I has been developing this car for years now and over all those years the model's look hasn't changed. Yes its specs are decent, but who would buy a car that looks like a low-end for a high-end price? If you have an electric you wan't to make a statement. This is the wrong statement. Please just add a little body kit to make it look more appealing!

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written by Jade Hopkins, January 24, 2012

Do electric cars have to be charged up at home or are their petrol station equivalents? And if they're charged at home wouldn't that make the persons electricity bill really high?x

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written by Vitali, January 24, 2012

In this day and age of Computer Aided Design and Injection Moldings it is unacceptable to produce a 1980 Honda Civic and try to sell it for $39,000.
What the heck?

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written by recycling electronics, February 08, 2012

150 miles range is pretty good for an electric only vehicle. That said range would be unlimited if the motorways were electrified.

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