Aptera founders not really Ousted.... Just a rumor? [Archive] - ApteraForum.com

admin

11-16-2009, 08:11 PM

So it may just be a rumor.

Check out the following article from a very reliable source (http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4337060.html):

Recent reports claiming that Aptera motors founders were "ousted in a boardroom showdown" appear to be false.

Aptera, a company we've been covering since its inception two years ago, has let some employees go in order to save money recently as they wait for the final round of funding and re-apply for a DOE loan.

"We needed to reduce our burn rate on anything not associated with getting a production vehicle out the door," said Marques McCammon, Chief Marketing Officer.

One of the company's founders, Steve Fambro, is currently in charge of Aptera's advanced concepts group and has agreed to take time off.

"Steve remains a member of the board so he'll never really be ‘gone'," McCammon says. "But he has agreed to allow himself to be one of the reductions for the short term. And then he'll come back in the new year once we get the series ‘D' final round of funding closed and we can turn advanced concepts back on."

Fambro tells PM that he had over a month of vacation saved, and took time off until the end of the year.

"I think some people read into this situation a little further than they should have, " Fambro says. "Some folks were let go, and since they hadn't seen me around—they put two and two together and made a fairly large and incorrect assumption," he says. "Since I started Aptera, I've had like three or four vacation days. One of them was after receiving a 2008 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award in NYC. So I need to take some time, and come back in the beginning of the new year."

Similarly, Co-founder Chris Anthony was not asked to leave the company. Anthony has been involved with a variety of companies over the past two years. "He's a serial entrepreneur," Fambro says. Anthony started Epic Boats before he came to Aptera and is now CEO of Flux Power creating battery management systems.

"Flux is unrelated to Aptera but it has gotten to be so lucrative for him and required so much of his time that he's basically committing full time to that company. " Fambro says. "He's been less than part-time for a while, so this is just a natural transition for him and we've all talked about it. "

Fambro has been reading much of the online chatter and speculation about his company and is quick to dispel rumors that he is unhappy with the direction of the company or its products.

"I can say that Paul Wilbur's leadership and Tom Reichenbach's talent (VP of engineering), the changes that they've made to the vehicle are spot on, "Fambro says. "Anyone can armchair quarterback, but the changes have made the vehicle better—it's better handling and more comfortable."

doug

11-16-2009, 08:16 PM

Just sounds like spin to me, but clearly some damage control was necessary. At any rate, lets hope they can get their act together.

admin

11-16-2009, 08:18 PM

Yeah, it very well could be. I think we will get a clearer story in the days to come. Should be interesting to say the least.

Sapphire Dragon

11-16-2009, 08:19 PM

I think this is what we've been waiting for. Whether or not it's spin, it's refreshing to hear some kind of positive aspect on this so there can at least be two sides to all the speculation. I'm currently hoping that this is the truth, right here.

rayfellow

11-16-2009, 08:23 PM

virtualeric

11-16-2009, 08:39 PM

Well that's a temporary relief.

Or is it a temporary suspension of reality....hmm.

Either way, I like it when Fambro talks. That was going to be my suggestion when I wrote my own "letter to Fambro" http://www.apteraforum.com/showthread.php?t=3537 which I haven't gotten 'round to.

aptera1213

11-16-2009, 08:44 PM

evmavin

11-16-2009, 08:50 PM

doug

11-16-2009, 09:09 PM

"Fambro tells PM that he had over a month of vacation saved, and took time off until the end of the year."

Till the end of the year is a long time. Come January we could just as easily hear that he's not coming back. This is definitely damage control.

Though even if he's been forced out, it's in Steve's best interest to calm things down. The alternative is the company fails. I really hope they can get their act together.

NeilBlanchard

11-16-2009, 09:13 PM

Well, I'm relieved (a bit) if this is the truth, but I'd be convinced if we could see some photographs of a production model (and maybe even a video?), and lot of details about the new design! Have they determined the battery pack design yet? Has any work been done on the 2h?

I guess we can glean other things from this news: if the BestBuy deal is true, then there was no investment as part of it. And of course, they would do well to tell us a revised production schedule, contingent on the DOE loan.

KarenRei

11-16-2009, 09:24 PM

Sapphire Dragon

11-16-2009, 09:28 PM

Your spin sense is tingling, eh?
Lol! I liked your original post. ;)

tetons97

11-16-2009, 10:04 PM

Just today I stumbled on the Wired article and sort of spooked. I had my suspicions with the boys from Detroit coming onboard but it did seem logical. With the design changes, price increases and new "options I wondered what happened to the $30k H model. Now it's between 40 & 45K?. So now the E model is only $25K but how striped will it be. Obviously the October ship date has come and gone. Have any been delivered? I sincerely hope that the reference to Steve taking a vacation is true. Has Idea Lab backed out? How about they go public? I tried to buy stock when I placed my deposit but couldn't then. Maybe Now????

Also, since the most costly part is the battery packs, wouldn't it be more affordable to produce the H model with half the batteries and bring the E online when battery costs drop? You can buy a nice gen for $3k

Well, Here's hoping they get the DOE money quickly and call me to come pick mine up :aptera:

KarenRei

11-16-2009, 10:07 PM

Lol! I liked your original post. ;)

You mean this?

:fighting0010: :scared0016: :fighting0003:

;)

All spin aside... Even if everything somehow magically went back to the way it was, I'd still be really bothered by that stuff that about Laura. Forget about Saleen and ASC. This is the person managing the deposits and the company's finances, and she was cited by the SEC for helping run one of the biggest accounting scandals in US history. Isn't anyone else just a wee bit bothered by this? Or am I just overreacting?

Sapphire Dragon

11-16-2009, 10:13 PM

You mean this?

:fighting0010: :scared0016: :fighting0003:

;)

Exactly. ;p

All spin aside... Even if everything somehow magically went back to the way it was, I'd still be really bothered by that stuff that about Laura. Forget about Saleen This is the person managing the deposits and the company's finances, and she was cited by the SEC for running one of the biggest accounting scandals in US history. Isn't anyone else just a wee bit bothered by this? Or am I just overreacting?
I'm also quite bothered by this. If this is even possibly going to come out good, I would suggest a full time monitoring of the way she handles the money. Better yet, they could just hire someone else and not have to worry about the possibilities.

tetons97

11-16-2009, 10:14 PM

I'm with you. Why have a sales person if the vehicle isn't ready to sell. There are 4000 of us waiting for a car. Look at the money they could save.
Rob

painfully hopeful

11-16-2009, 11:09 PM

Been following this for a couple years- first post so apologies if messed up somehow. Grew up in Michigan with lots of Detroit auto relatives- could see how messed up it was. Moved out here and got really excited about potential to support energy independence, greener world, SD area. Tried to get in with Phoenix motorcars- it died. I'm E 557 and H 2300 or so- been talking this up to whomever will listen and have about 4 people wanting to buy if I have good car. Like several others on these strings, wrote them about a year ago strongly admonishing them not to listen to Detroit nimrods. Folks wanting this car don't need to roll down any darn window- we can walk 50 ft to the ATM and having a slight inconvenience when doing fast food is no problem. Wanted inexpensive, economical, and soon! Keeping 3 very old cars alive hoping someone will come out with stuff worth backing but time is running thin.
Will go see Nissan Leaf in Gaslamp and am looking into Myers Motors- but really hope I can send my money to this state. If they bloat it out and charge too much, though, I'm gone but really sad.

DanD

11-16-2009, 11:18 PM

An even more reliable source says they were ousted:

http://www.reuters.com/article/earth2Tech/idUS221479170620091116

My hunch is that someone is doing damage control.

If they weren't really ousted, then I'd love to see the board return control to them and enact their plan. Or perhaps the board would rather waste more time and money debating big-gulp cup holders?

So it may just be a rumor.

Check out the following article from a very reliable source (http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4337060.html):

Sapphire Dragon

11-16-2009, 11:57 PM

An even more reliable source says they were ousted:

http://www.reuters.com/article/earth2Tech/idUS221479170620091116

Maybe reliable, but they just based their article off of Wired's. It says so right in the article itself.

Matthijs

11-17-2009, 01:57 AM

Maybe reliable, but they just based their article off of Wired's. It says so right in the article itself.

Yeah and it's copied from earth2tech: http://apteraforum.com/showthread.php?t=3542http://static.reuters.com/resources/media/global/images/cobrands/earth2_article.gif (http://earth2tech.com/)

Apt3448

11-17-2009, 02:30 AM

I found this comment on the original article at wired.com:

Posted by: mfeberhard | 11/16/09 | 6:34 pm
Seems like it’s time for me to buy Mr. Fambro a beer…
Martin Eberhard

palmer_md

11-17-2009, 02:35 AM

I found this comment on the original article at wired.com:

Posted by: mfeberhard | 11/16/09 | 6:34 pm
Seems like it’s time for me to buy Mr. Fambro a beer…
Martin Eberhard

i'd like to be a fly on the wall in that bar.

rayfellow

11-17-2009, 06:20 AM

Looking backward is full of woulda, coulda, shoulda's. The timing of a bad economy for borrowing money, mixed with delaying production for a better product. OK, they got it backward, and kicked in the ass for their trouble.

Steve's latest damage control (I'm still here, don't look at that man behind the screen) is a message saying... we screwed up, but still want to get the Aptera out.... oh and BTW this is our latest excuse for a delay of delivery. The basic lesson we learn in kindergarden - if you make a mess, clean it up. I'll give them all credit for trying. The Aptera is just too fine a vehicle to just say, 'never mind'.

Well - that's my hope anyway.

KarenRei

11-17-2009, 12:36 PM

i'd like to be a fly on the wall in that bar.

I'm sure they'll have an interesting conversation indeed. ;)

Anyway, I think I've said my piece. I think there's a pretty obvious path right now. Either they keep their word, they bring Steve back as stated, and they make a car like the one the original team envisioned... or they don't. And they've given us a rather convenient deadline ("the new year" -- I.e., some time in January). I think think that's good enough for me. Just so long as they're not foolish enough to think that we'll just forget the deadline or let it slip silently like every other deadline. ;)

aptera1213

11-17-2009, 12:41 PM

yep, january should be an interesting month...

or a very quiet month, which will actually speak very loudly if the communications dept keeps up the "no-talking" to the deposit holders program...

flasher702

11-17-2009, 02:41 PM

1. If this is true, all the blame is on aptera...the lack of official communication is insane. Hello, mcfly, take 5 minutes and type a newsletter or email

2. I think steve might have just been rehired ;). Aptera had to see autobloggreen and wired and crapped a brick.
I think you greatly overestimate how important it is for them to communicate with us during their development phase...

I was actually just checking by to see if aptera had done anything recently (and they haven't :/ ) and find this. *sigh* The things fanboys will do to themselves when they don't have enough information.

aptera1213

11-17-2009, 02:53 PM

yeah, i guess me and the others here are to blame since aptera actually stated they would send MONTHLY newsletters and keep the people who's deposits helped aptera get their original funding in the know as to what they were doing (delays and changes and all that so we don't fear we are supporting vaporware). i just kinda hoped they would do what they said they would do...strange isn't it.

we all knew aptera would probably hit some delays, would probably make some changes, would probably have some personnel changes...

i sure never thought they would completely clam up and cut off communication for months and months at a time, especially with the x-prize and funding issues...that is a time to talk more....crow about the x-prize, crow about the DOE money...

3 missed deadlines and 2 years later and it seems we know less about both the car and company than we did in 2008...

yeah for progress...

edit....and this quote seems kinda quaint in retrospect : Our goal is to deliver the first vehicles before the end of 2008. We are committed to keeping you up to date with the progress of both the all-electric and hybrid versions. 10/07 from steve himself...though, to be fair, i think steve really meant it...

when was the last time anybody heard anything about the hybrid?

esmith

11-17-2009, 02:57 PM

I'm sure they'll have an interesting conversation indeed. ;)

Anyway, I think I've said my piece. I think there's a pretty obvious path right now. Either they keep their word, they bring Steve back as stated, and they make a car like the one the original team envisioned... or they don't. And they've given us a rather convenient deadline ("the new year" -- I.e., some time in January). I think think that's good enough for me. Just so long as they're not foolish enough to think that we'll just forget the deadline or let it slip silently like every other deadline. ;)

All they did was say that Steve was not ousted ... they did not say that his plan to go back to the original design and to start deliveries ASAP was approved. The part about slashing costs and going to skeleton crew was never refuted. My current expectation is that maybe, just maybe they'll keep enough people in the office to assemble and start testing some production prototypes. Scale-up to production won't happen till they get another cash infusion.

speculawyer

11-17-2009, 04:31 PM

"We needed to reduce our burn rate on anything not associated with getting a production vehicle out the door," said Marques McCammon, Chief Marketing Officer.

Interesting, so all that non-existent communication and marketing for the last year is still needed for production? Is Marques going to be working on assembly now or is his salary exempt form this rule?
:) Clever.

Perhaps his marketing is directed toward investors not potential buyers. And if that is the case, his marketing job is very key in getting a production vehicle out the door.

speculawyer

11-17-2009, 04:36 PM

I found this comment on the original article at wired.com:

Posted by: mfeberhard | 11/16/09 | 6:34 pm
Seems like it’s time for me to buy Mr. Fambro a beer…
Martin Eberhard
:D

One has to sympathize with them in that this is a VERY difficult industry to succeed in. Even at $80/barrel, gas is cheap & convenient relative to electricity in batteries. Aptera's hyper efficient design to reduce the size (read: cost) of batteries seemed to be the way to go. But they still need subsidies and were not getting much due to the 3 wheels. It sounds like they've managed to get better subsidies . . . but they still probably need oil over $100/barrel.

magnru

11-17-2009, 05:30 PM

just maybe they'll keep enough people in the office to assemble and start testing some production prototypes.
Aptera may just be trying right now to make the lease payments on their two manufacturing facilities so they don't lose them cause if they do the ballgame is over. magnru #2783 'TYPE 2H'

natebrau

11-17-2009, 07:33 PM

Official word from Steve Fambro- he's not been ousted, he's really taking a vacation.

From Popular Mechanics:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4337060.html

DonC

11-17-2009, 07:43 PM

All spin aside... Even if everything somehow magically went back to the way it was, I'd still be really bothered by that stuff that about Laura. Forget about Saleen and ASC. This is the person managing the deposits and the company's finances, and she was cited by the SEC for helping run one of the biggest accounting scandals in US history. Isn't anyone else just a wee bit bothered by this? Or am I just overreacting?
Very perceptive actually. Moreover, not only do you have to wonder about her, you also have to wonder about the people who hired her. I don't know all the particulars, but while she may not have been guilty she surely was not "innocent". Either they didn't know about her background when they hired her -- which suggests something -- or they knew about her background and didn't care or liked it -- which suggests something as well.

KarenRei

11-17-2009, 08:18 PM

JustWilliam

11-17-2009, 09:32 PM

So.. WTF.. It ain't over till the fat lady sings. It did seem insane that the Aptera would just 'go away'. We've all realize what it can do. A comfortable ride at a reasonable speed with 1/2 the energy.. And stylish too!

Yay for Ray! Hopeful optimism and EXCRUCIATING patience will serve all of us best. The rest is valuable only to keep us engaged and interested.

Sapphire Dragon

11-17-2009, 09:40 PM

Yay for Ray! Hopeful optimism and EXCRUCIATING patience will serve all of us best. The rest is valuable only to keep us engaged and interested.
I completely agree with you. :)

DonC

11-18-2009, 01:27 AM

I don't know who made the call on her, but I could guess. From reading the SEC citation, at first I thought she had just gotten a "cease and desist", but apparently she had to pay $40k in fines:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ashjS6LHOl8M&refer=us

She was one of only three Delphi execs who had to.
If anything the SEC is reluctant to name names, as evidenced by the BoA case. Usually if they're asking for a fine they believe you played a significant role.

Doubtless she has talent, but talent isn't everything.

Had you not brought this up I would have never had any idea. It does make me question whether they're committed to high character people. You more or less know the venture folks aren't, so as a customer your bets are usually best placed on management.

esmith

11-18-2009, 04:07 AM

If anything the SEC is reluctant to name names, as evidenced by the BoA case. Usually if they're asking for a fine they believe you played a significant role.

Doubtless she has talent, but talent isn't everything.

Had you not brought this up I would have never had any idea. It does make me question whether they're committed to high character people. You more or less know the venture folks aren't, so as a customer your bets are usually best placed on management.

Dunno. A 40k fine for an executive of that caliber is less than a slap on the wrist. The accounting director at Worldcom got one year in prison and three years probation for his misdeeds.

KarenRei

11-18-2009, 11:02 AM

The SEC rarely names names unless they think you've really done something wrong. And fundamentally, she was one of the few names named in running a 2/3 B$ Enron-style accounting scandal. Who could possibly be okay with that? Have you read the SEC complaint? She knowingly took part.

OC-LA driver

11-18-2009, 11:34 AM

Laura Marion may have done bad things at Delphi, but I believe people can learn from mistakes and redeem themselves. Most of us just haven't made mistakes of that magnitude.

Good people in sick cultures are easily sucked into the sick behavior. It happens all the time. They need to grow a backbone and leave, even if it costs them money / oportunities...but this takes time. I left one employer because the ethics were so bad; fortunately I was able to avoid getting into a role where I'd be asked to undertake illegal or questionable activities. Laura was already in that role.

Maybe she took too long to leave, and felt compelled to take part, or she willingly took part, before she was caught, or got a conscience, or both. I am not defending her. But I am offering the idea of redemption. She's been disgraced, paid a fine, is probably a toxic name in her industry, so banished to a startup far from the automotive mainstream. Sure she probably has some equity stake in Aptera, so financial upside, but this sure sounds like paying her dues and a notch down from her past. And she has every incentive to redeem herself here.

None of us have looked her in the eye and gauged her remose and her resolve. I bet we've all succumbed to one weakness or another during our lives. Note that the SEC did not bar her from holding financial or management positions in public firms in the future. I don't think a mistake by a 30-something who's rising fast in a sick corporate culture should cause us all to assume she is evil for the rest of her life.

And no I am not connected in any way with Marion, Delphi, Aptera...just a human who's seen good people make big mistakes and learn from them.

PS: Why would Aptera hire her, knowing her background? Easy. Probably willing to accept a pretty low salary despite her relevant industry expertise. And you can bet Delphi came up in the interview. So...did Paul Wilbur want a "yes-man" (woman) in the CFO slot, and the Board was unaware of her past, or did the Board give her an OK based on Paul's lobbying but they're watching her like a hawk? I presume the latter. VCs boards are a lot more hands-on, and tiny company finances a lot more transparent, than at a behemoth like Delphi.

garygid

11-18-2009, 04:27 PM

January 2010, no ... "sometime" in 2010 ... another December perhaps!

mycomya

11-19-2009, 10:57 AM

With all their hard work, I'm thinking that Wilbur, McCammon, and Marion need a lengthy vacation more than anyone else. Very lengthy.

NeilBlanchard

11-19-2009, 02:51 PM

Show us a 2e production model -- a real one!

Surely, this can be done with the resources that are available?

mikekinney

11-19-2009, 03:01 PM

Super bummer about the whole situation. Great idea of overcoming expenisve and heavy batteries by making a light and aerodynamic vehicle that allows for maximum performance and range with a minimum of these batteries.

When the 2e was going to come out in 2008, they had a 2+ year head start on any electric car alternative (except expensive low volume Tesla Roadster). So, I'm betting that Aptera could have sold PP6's as fast as could have made them.

Meanwhile, they could have taken the profits on these and continued R&D so that in 2011 when they had a bunch of competitors they would be ready to compete with these. By "ready" I mean sourcing, production, and distribuiton worked out along with a new model that was more mainstream and less compromise.

Oh well, I'll probably keep my name on the waiting list until I decide to use the money for something else.

-Mike

SEGsby

11-19-2009, 10:58 PM

You saw the "leaked" render from Josh. That's all you get. No Aptera for you! One YEAR! ;)

esmith

11-19-2009, 11:23 PM

When the 2e was going to come out in 2008, they had a 2+ year head start on any electric car alternative (except expensive low volume Tesla Roadster). So, I'm betting that Aptera could have sold PP6's as fast as could have made them.

Meanwhile, they could have taken the profits on these and continued R&D so that in 2011 when they had a bunch of competitors they would be ready to compete with these. By "ready" I mean sourcing, production, and distribuiton worked out along with a new model that was more mainstream and less compromise.

Profits? What profits? Just the 22 kwh battery pack ($500/kwh) and assembly worker salaries (300 hrs/vehicle @ $20/hr) add up to $18,000 in costs. Motor and controller, conservatively, $5,000. And then you have to build, you know, the vehicle ... driver and passenger seats, air bags, custom-made windshield wiper, cupholders, air conditioning ...

Bottom line, unless they went high volume (moving assembly line, robots & such, the way it's done by big boys) or priced it significantly higher than initially planned, in the 30's, if not 40's, they would've been losing money on every delivery.

And they couldn't go high volume, because PP6, with its 8 foot width, fixed windows and poorly rated weird-shaped doors, is inherently a niche vehicle.

aptera1213

11-19-2009, 11:43 PM

mmm, i hope that isn't true or the 2e will never be...

it is not a high volume car...it is a niche car...even with roll down windows it is a niche car...even at 7 feet width it is a niche car...even with slightly better egress it is a niche car

aptera needed to embrace that fact...

SEGsby

11-20-2009, 02:03 AM

Paul needed to embrace that fact, the way I read it... :(

Wasn't Palomar supposed to be the more conventional Aptera vehicle? Kinda seems like they went all eggs in one basket?

msdickerson

11-20-2009, 11:40 AM

I saw this stuff in at least 2 other auto magazines too- Fambro might be still attached but is supposedly on a vacation? Still CTO, but not really in the board anymore? Also both mags, said that the official release of the 2e is now sometime in 2010.

My old 2002 Prius is getting older by the day, and I will need to find something soon - I might end up with the plug in Prius (retail units available sometime in 2010), and live with that car again for the next 10 years. Perhaps there will be an Aptera type vehicle sometime, but I am getting suspicious that it wont be from Aptera, and will be from an established auto company.

aptera1213

11-20-2009, 12:01 PM

Perhaps there will be an Aptera type vehicle sometime, but I am getting suspicious that it wont be from Aptera, and will be from an established auto company.

this is why i kinda always hoped (still kinda hope) that aptera would be bought out by honda or someone like that...a car company that didn't have an EV ready to go, but suddenly realized it was the future and jumped on the aptera design...

maybe the silence and delays are because aptera is being bought out? i doubt it, and in reality it wouldn't help us early adopters anyways...if honda or "other" bought aptera it would just delay the car release that much more as more testing and changes would likely happen...

our real hope probably lies in the Board of Directors at aptera changing their minds and changing the company's direction back to making the PP6 with a few quick changes (width decrease a bit, split windows) and then working on version 2 and the Hybrid....

but that is also unlikely to happen

sigh

Sapphire Dragon

11-20-2009, 03:08 PM

this is why i kinda always hoped (still kinda hope) that aptera would be bought out by honda or someone like that...a car company that didn't have an EV ready to go, but suddenly realized it was the future and jumped on the aptera design...

maybe the silence and delays are because aptera is being bought out? i doubt it, and in reality it wouldn't help us early adopters anyways...if honda or "other" bought aptera it would just delay the car release that much more as more testing and changes would likely happen...

Actually, I'm hoping that it's bought out by Subaru. That company is a very nice company- I believe they are trying to change for the better as well. Their plants already produce no landfill waste, so I think those people who embrace eco-friendliness should be the people to get the Aptera company. Then hopefully they can rehire Fambro, and he can deliver the vehicle asap like he was about to do. I'm even thinking of sending Subaru an email about all of this. Do you think we should all collaborate an email and send it to Subaru so they can possibly help us out? It's their chance for free grabs on an amazing EV, and our chance to get Paul Wilbur out of control...

rayfellow

11-20-2009, 06:40 PM

Actually, I'm hoping that it's bought out by Subaru. That company is a very nice company- I believe they are trying to change for the better as well. Their plants already produce no landfill waste, so I think those people who embrace eco-friendliness should be the people to get the Aptera company. Then hopefully they can rehire Fambro, and he can deliver the vehicle asap like he was about to do. I'm even thinking of sending Subaru an email about all of this. Do you think we should all collaborate an email and send it to Subaru so they can possibly help us out? It's their chance for free grabs on an amazing EV, and our chance to get Paul Wilbur out of control...

I'm getting cool on Aptera's ability to produce the vehicle. The actual vehicle... Wow and still wow. The combination of weight, materials, aerodynamics, and the level of fit and finish that appears to be happening is totally innovative. I truly hope it gets built and kicks the asses of all the other 2 seater 'sports' cars out there.

Personally, I don't care who does it - even GM! What the heck.. they make a fiberglass Corvette in limited production, why not an Aptera? I just want to see the auto industry pushed in the direction of the Aptera and away from the heavy boxy autos.

Sapphire Dragon

11-20-2009, 07:21 PM

I'm getting cool on Aptera's ability to produce the vehicle. The actual vehicle... Wow and still wow. The combination of weight, materials, aerodynamics, and the level of fit and finish that appears to be happening is totally innovative. I truly hope it gets built and kicks the asses of all the other 2 seater 'sports' cars out there.

Personally, I don't care who does it - even GM! What the heck.. they make a fiberglass Corvette in limited production, why not an Aptera? I just want to see the auto industry pushed in the direction of the Aptera and away from the heavy boxy autos. True. I only suggested Subaru because they seem to be taking eco-friendliness seriously and to heart- and not to line their pockets with more cash because of the eco-rush going on. Currently, I know of no Subaru hybrid OR EV, yet it was in a way one of the first to help begin the eco-revolution by eliminating all landfill waste from their plants. That was a smart decision on their part and I think that mentality is what would best suit people who handle the Aptera from now on. As we can see, people in power like to change things, and the big automakers getting their hands on the Aptera could spell disaster. They may do exactly what Wilbur is doing, or even worse. I think Subaru would know what they were doing with this car and design. And hopefully, they'll be friendly enough to hire Fambro and allow him to work his magic all over again. :)

scottsim

11-20-2009, 08:53 PM