7/1/08 - Interview with Aptera CMO Tony Kirton - brandweek.com

[KarenRei]

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/automotive-travel/e3i028fe269aceda26aaed986448e8971cd

Brief, but hey :)

I hope they do stick to this line: "We understand deeply that our customers will make this brand. They will own it. And we will do our utmost to respect that at all times."

[javan]

Funny how much I feel brand loyal already. I'm glad to see this interview and the sentiment about the customers making the brand. Thanks for posting this KarenRei. Jim

[APTERA 2356]

Thanks Karen,
I love to hear the Aptera team talk about their product, You can hear the excitement in their voice.
every interview seems to indicate a real concern for the buyers and a willingness to please us

lets hope so. I for one have no doubts about the TYP-1 or the staff building her.

:happy0005:

[ciege]

Funny, I have Google Alerts set up for all things Aptera and never got this. Yes brief but at least he (Kirton) is out in the public speaking. And I too hope his statement holds and from all that I have seen, I believe it will.

[Aptera#965]

Nice! Thanks for posting that Karen.

[Matthijs]

Funny, I have Google Alerts set up for all things Aptera and never got this. Yes brief but at least he (Kirton) is out in the public speaking. And I too hope his statement holds and from all that I have seen, I believe it will.
Google alerts worked fine here. :happy0025: Got it in fine.

[vdstultz]

Thanks Karen,
Good interview. I am crossing my fingers that my 1e will arrive in March '09 as originally estimated.

[Vasil]

Just had lunch today with the HR rep. They are very much gung-ho about moving forward with the few people they have. If the ethos trickles all the way to the HR office, then you know it's legit.

[OC-LA driver]

Quote from the interview: "as gas prices keep rising, the rational benefit of maximum efficiency will be more and more convincing. Having said that, we believe that the emotional appeal of the vehicle and the purity of the concept is what matters most."

In other words, as long as the economics are reasonable, Apera doesn't have to cut price to make the economics compelling. Don't expect any price cuts...and is there a chance they will feel they can charge more if no competitors with similar price/performance appear? I hope not, since that would mean alienating customers who put deposits down with a gneeral pricing structure in mind.

[KarenRei]

There are way too many upcoming EVs and PHEVs for them to take that attitude. Just recently I compiled a list of 33 of them, not counting commercial trucks/vans, motorcycles, concept cars, vehicles that have shown no progress from small-scale manufacturers, vehicles that manufacturers haven't committed to, and so on.