You know that the world is about to change when a plug in hybrid pick-up truck enters production. Yet this reality has come to fruition, the truck itself being produced by VIA Motors, and apparently already 40 of them completed.
Their marketing team has come to the conclusion that interest in the electric car is ready to enter a new demographic. Historically the pickup truck has close association to a blue collar consumer, perhaps conservative, even possibly associated with an opposition to green energy policies in the belief that they’re somehow oppositional to economic growth.
Yet despite one’s political viewpoint, it’s pretty hard to argue against cheaper gas prices, and that’s exactly what this pick-up truck is set to deliver. From an engineering standpoint it’s also going to be relatively simple, given the company’s deal with GM to use its already existing model. If this model is already selling well, why not make it better by making it more efficient?
Instead of starting from scratch, VIA has developed close relationships with a large industry player, which is likely to be a valuable ally in the future. They haven’t gone totally electric and yet GM’s market is large enough that this could have a considerable impact.
