Survey Finds
LOS ANGELES–Manufacturers of electric cars are going to have to make their products more competitive with gas-powered vehicles if they want to sell or lease more of them.
That is one key finding of a recent survey by research company J.D. Power and Associates in Agoura Hills, Calif., which questioned potential car buyers in Southern California. ‘The true success of the (electric vehicle) will be based on its performance as a vehicle not as an environmental solution,’ said Tim Gohmann, J.D. Power’s director of custom research.
Nearly one-quarter of the respondents said they would be interested in buying or leasing an electric vehicle, the survey showed. The number of sales and leases remains miniscule, however. GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota have or will soon put electric vehicles on the road.–Angela Dawson
Copyright ASM Communications, Inc. (1997) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
West
Electric Cars Must Prove Performance,
