Automotive Journal

Something I came across in Paris that was a little unexpected was an electric car designed for urban use that actually looked okay in styling terms. In fact, it looked quite good. And it has come out of South Africa of all places. I had a quick chat with Diana Blake, one of the managers at Optmal Energy. There's an ex-Jaguar designer involved - Keith Helfet - and the company has been bank-rolled big-time by the South African government. Where do they see this going I wonder? They were talking about commercialisation  - production for South Africa, where they see this car meeting needs in some of the big cities - being 18 months away. How cheap to build? Exports? Is a big group going to snap this minnow up?