Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2011 Coda EV

New on Electric Avenue: A battery-powered midsize sedan that promises to be a viable alternative to conventional family cars. The American-engineered Coda bows for California only, but this "all-electric vehicle for everyone" might soon be available in other states.

What We Know About the 2011 Coda EV

Our dictionary defines coda as "something that serves to round out, conclude, or summarize and that has an interest of its own." If you regard today's fast-growing crop of electric cars as the beginning of the end for petrol engines, then the Coda EV is well named.

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The result of a transpacific collaboration between an American start-up and two Chinese manufacturers, this battery-powered midsize sedan is slated to reach customers by fall 2010, which could make it the first China-built vehicle to land on U.S. shores. The target price is $40,000--with no ups or extras--but a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric-vehicle purchases will lower the delivered price to $32,500. Initial sales will be limited to California, but Santa Monica-based Coda Automotive says it's eyeing expansion to major metro markets in other states at some future point. The company plans to start taking Californians' orders in November 2009, but only through its website. How 21st century.

The 2011 Coda EV may be new on the scene, but has been in development since 2006. Though based on an existing Chinese car, it incorporates over 500 technical and quality-related changes in addition to its Coda-developed electric drive and batteries. This product-development approach saves billions compared to a clean-sheet design and is thus attractive for a newcomer to a global car market that's become even more competitive in a slumping economy. The parent car is the Hafei Saibao, a conventional midsize front-wheel-drive sedan that is itself based on the Japan-market Mitsubishi Divine. According to Coda, Hafei has delivered over a million vehicles to date and can build some 200,000 units a year.

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