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Exclusive: First Reports of Massive Layoffs at Coda Automotive
Plugincars.com ^ | 12/11/2102 | Brad Berman

Posted on 12/11/2012 2:35:48 PM PST by nascarnation

Coda Automotive, the California-based maker of an all-electric sedan primarily produced in China, last Friday laid off more than 50 employees, including a substantial part of its sales and marketing staff, according to a source familiar with the company’s business. The source, who contacted PluginCars.com about the news, wants to stay anonymous based on concerns about possible “blow back” from Coda executives.

The anonymous source said the company had sold fewer than 100 units of its all-electric sedan since it went on sale in March 2012—and that sales had virtually stopped after the car was recalled by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (for faulty safety equipment) in August. Last week, the Coda sedan earned only two of five stars in recent federal testing of frontal impact—making it even more difficult to instill confidence in prospective customers.

“They just cut everybody they possible could,” said the source. “Their sales department went to just a handful of people. It’s a real mess.” The source indicated that Coda was running low on funds, and that it was having great difficulty finding individual or fleet customers. PluginCars.com placed a call to Coda Automotive to confirm these details, but has not received a reply—perhaps because communications staff has been reduced.

John Gartner, an automotive analyst at Pike Research, is not surprised by Coda’s difficulties. “Coda has not been able to gain traction with consumers or fleets,” he said. “Coda's launch vehicle has not been viewed favorably as consumers have not been willing to compromise ‘just’ to have a vehicle with an electric drivetrain.” Gartner said the founders are likely to shift their attention towards developing their battery technology for other vehicle platforms and for grid energy storage.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: 2012; car; china; coda; electric; electriccar; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; layoff; layoffs
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What, those green folks in California aren't rushing to buy?
1 posted on 12/11/2012 2:35:57 PM PST by nascarnation
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To: nascarnation

2 posted on 12/11/2012 2:37:55 PM PST by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: nascarnation

Sell it to the Chinese...


3 posted on 12/11/2012 2:40:15 PM PST by neodad (USS Vincennes (CG-49) Freedom's Fortress)
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To: null and void

they need another handout? Ask China


4 posted on 12/11/2012 2:40:56 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: nascarnation

It seems the tax credit couldn’t save it, probably won’t save others either.


5 posted on 12/11/2012 2:45:51 PM PST by jazusamo ("Intellect is not wisdom" -- Thomas Sowell)
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To: nascarnation

There is a receptacle occupying the White Hut that they can put their prongs in.


6 posted on 12/11/2012 2:46:00 PM PST by patriotsblood
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To: nascarnation

DC al.....


7 posted on 12/11/2012 2:47:45 PM PST by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: nascarnation
50 employees is "massive"? Hyperbole. It's 50 employees. Citi bank laid off 11,000 and didn't get the "massive" description. It's another damn green energy failure. Absolutely no surprise.
8 posted on 12/11/2012 2:49:39 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: nascarnation

How much did we lose in 0bamasubsidy dollars at this company?


9 posted on 12/11/2012 2:52:46 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (BOHICA eGOP!)
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To: Uncle Miltie

Coda=Con Job, designed to get Government money for trips around the world. See how well things sell before you make it. A Good, cheap gas powered car that gets great mileage is what we need.


10 posted on 12/11/2012 2:59:16 PM PST by Forward the Light Brigade (Into the Jaws of H*ll)
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To: nascarnation

They should unionize. LOL


11 posted on 12/11/2012 3:03:52 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: Myrddin

You can see even in the obvious (to us) moments that the car had no market allure, the Greentard writer says,

“The anonymous source said the company had sold fewer than 100 units of its all-electric sedan since it went on sale in March 2012—and that sales had virtually stopped after the car was recalled by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (for faulty safety equipment) in August.”

This is a fair side-note to the story, but like all Liberals, they blame someone else, not failed Green technology, not wasted subsidies, not cronyism of Dem donors, not even an ugly, slow car...they blame the saftety aspect.

These Global Warmers are so vested in the lie, it hurts them to see the billions wasted and the fake science uncovered (ClimateGate, Mann, etc.) because THEY WANT TO BELEIVE that somehow we are responsible for it, and that we should BAN things to get there. We should punish ourselves, because, dammit, Capitalism is bad, and I hate the fact my toilet flushes and my TV works, 24/7.


12 posted on 12/11/2012 3:14:26 PM PST by wac3rd (Somewhere in Hell, Ted Kennedy snickers....)
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To: nascarnation

It’s uglier than..., well it’s really ugly.

I try to stay up on what’s out there. I hadn’t even heard of this vehicle. That could be part of their problem.

Where did they advertise, the bottom of trash bins?


13 posted on 12/11/2012 3:19:43 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Hurricane Sandy..., a week later and over 60 million Americans still didn't have power.)
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To: DoughtyOne

And ginning up an auto production plant isn’t an overnight thing. This took years, at least three, to fail.


14 posted on 12/11/2012 3:31:05 PM PST by txhurl (Zero on America: Drive it like you stole it)
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To: DoughtyOne

According to some articles I found on advertising blogs, they were primarily targeting California both for adverts and sales.


15 posted on 12/11/2012 3:37:41 PM PST by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: txhurl

Good points...


16 posted on 12/11/2012 3:53:31 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Hurricane Sandy..., a week later and over 60 million Americans still didn't have power.)
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To: nascarnation

Well, I live in California, and I don’t remember hearing the name Coda once. Now I may have and forgot about it, but if they were trying to sell them, I should have heard about it enough to remember it.


17 posted on 12/11/2012 3:55:08 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Hurricane Sandy..., a week later and over 60 million Americans still didn't have power.)
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To: nascarnation

We’re on the Island of Misfit Toys
Here we don’t want to stay
We want to travel with Santa Claus
In his magic sleigh!

A pack full of toys
Means a sack full of joys
For millions of girls
And for millions of boys
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year.

A jack-in-the-box waits for children to shout
“Wake up! Don’t you know that it’s time to come out!”
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year.

A skooter for Jimmy
A dolly for Sue
The kind that will even say, “How do you do?”
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year.

—(this part is spoken)—

How would you like to be a Coda plug-in car?
Or a Volt?
Or a Solyndra Solar Panel?
Or a Spotted Elephant?
Or a Choo-Choo with square wheels on your caboose?
Or a water pistol that shoots — jelly?

We’re all misfits!
How would you like to be an ambassador that can’t breath?
Or a soldier who isn’t allowed to shoot?
Or a Border Patrol that can’t arrest?
We’re all misfits.

—(back to singing)—

If we’re on the Island of Unwanted Toys
We’ll miss all the fun with the girls and the boys
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful day of the year!


18 posted on 12/11/2012 4:03:49 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: Myrddin

It may be massive compared to the size of their workforce.


19 posted on 12/11/2012 4:22:10 PM PST by newzjunkey (feh)
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To: DoughtyOne
Well, I live in California, and I don’t remember hearing the name Coda once. Now I may have and forgot about it, but if they were trying to sell them, I should have heard about it enough to remember it.

Obviously, you're not up to speed on the objectives of an electric car business.

You're not in business to sell cars. Heavens, no! You're in business to collect loans and grants from the taxpayers, launder them...and then fold.

20 posted on 12/11/2012 4:37:18 PM PST by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA; Ignorance on parade.)
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