Detroit Electric is attempting a comeback after being out of business since 1939 according to a report by Business Insider. The company originally went out of business after the introduction of the combustion engine, meaning people no longer had to start their vehicle with a hand crank.
As of this week, the company is back and plans on releasing a new line of vehicles before the end of the year.
"We are proud to become the fourth car manufacturer born out of Detroit, and the first to manufacture a pure electric sports car from Michigan," said Don Graunstadt, the company's CEO of North America Operations in a press release.
Detroit Electric was briefly revived in 200 by Albert Lam, the former CEO of Lotus Engineering Group and Managing Director of Apple's Asia operations according to Business Insider. Lam's plan was to put an electric drive train in a Lotus Elise and to build electric vehicles based on the Malaysian Proton sedan.
Both goals were never achieved however, as the Elise isn't even sold in the U.S. due to airbag issues according to Wired.
The revived company plans to create 10 jobs in Michigan before 2014. They'll be setting up a production plant in the Fisher Building in downtown Detroit. The company also announced their first vehicle this week, called the Detroit Electric.
The new car will be a limited edition and officially unveiled next month at the Shanghai Motor Show on April 20. The vehicle will be in showrooms no later than the end of August.
"We think we have the best electric car out there," Graunstadt said in the press release.
Detroit Electric had ambitions to unveil the new car at Detroit's 2013 North American International Auto Show back in January, but company officials didn't want it to be rushed according to MLive.com.
Graunstadt was also able to confirm this week that the company is "close" to finalizing plans for an assembly plant in Wayne County with production expected to begin this Aug. If the plans go through, the new facility could produce 2,500 sport cars a year.
"In my opinion, there's been a big myth generated by California electric vehicle companies that California has all the technology," said Graunstadt in the press release. "I disagree 100 percent. There's more technology, there's more automotive talent here in Southeast Michigan than all the other states combined."
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