Photos by Patrick Rall
When Korean EV maker CT&T decided to crack the US market they took a high profile that left some observers scratching their heads. The plans seemed a bit ambitious. Two years ago, CT&T announced that it would begin importing and then producing electric cars in the US, eventually employing 2,600 people within five years. The small EV maker dangled production sites in front of South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and California, looking for tax breaks and incentives. Eventually they settled on Hawaii, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and those states greeted CT&T with huzzahs and open arms. To announce to the world that they were playing in the automotive big leagues, CT&T had a fairly large display at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, showing their tiny EVs and a new electric sportscar, the C2, for Creative Challenge (or at least that’s what the decals on the side said).
The thing is, though, that it was hard to take CT&T seriously. Not just because their “cars” were closer to golf-carts than even to kei cars or because their US production cars seemed ambitious. The ladies that CT&T hired to decorate their display were dressed in a manner that brazenly said that CT&T was bush league, not ready for the show. The NAIAS is a class act. There is plenty of pulchritudinous eye candy but the ladies tend to be tastefully attired. The Detroit show is not SEMA. It was obvious that CT&T did not know the difference since they dressed their models in somewhat sleazy and overtly sexual garb. There was a sexy schoolgirl to go with a naughty cop. The other two models were less provocatively attired but were wearing skin tight patent leather and a micro-mini skirt respectively.
There are about 5,500 journalists who attend the NAIAS, many of them photographers, so it’s not unusual to see someone take a photo of a pretty lady standing next to a car. What is unusual is seeing reporters get out their cell phones and take photos of models’ behinds.
I haven’t seen a skirt that short at a car show since 1972
Now, it appears that skepticism about CT&T’s plans for North American EV production seems to have been well founded. According to the Associated Press, those plans have stalled with no plants constructed, no employees hired and no EVs built in the USA. Announcing, in Seoul, that it was facing “liquidity issues” CT&T said that at this time there is no schedule for the resumption of plans in the US. CT&T stock has plunged 89% this year, to 115 won ($0.11) a share. As recently as last May CT&T said that its Hawaiian facility would employ 400 people and make up to 10,000 cars a year. As in Pennsylvania and South Carolina, state officials greeted CT&T with open arms, but that was the last they’d heard of them.
Maria Tome, renewable energy program manager for the Hawaii Energy Office said, “They did their thing and they left, and I haven’t heard anything since.” Theresa Elliott, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania’s Department of Community & Economic Development concurred, “There hasn’t been any movement on this project since the initial announcement.”
As seems to be the case with the import start-ups like Global Motors/Mahindra, the Americans involved don’t want to give up the ghost. James Park, VP of CT& T United, the US subsidiary of the Korean company, says that it is separating from its Korean parent and hopes to find US investors and ownership. He insisted that plans to build EVs in Hawaii and South Carolina were proceeding, pending raising $250 million.
“We are in very close negotiations and the final stage of funding,” Park claimed. “Once that is due, the main purpose is to establish factory operations in Honolulu and South Carolina, but the funding must be in place prior to making any commitment.”
Park is more optimistic than those in the public and private sector who had hoped to attract CT&T. The Oahu Economic Development Board, Enterprise Honolulu, worked to bring CT&T to Hawaii. Mark McGuffie, a spokesman, now says, “We have not heard from CT&T since October 2010. Given their stock decline, there is no indication that CT&T will be coming to Hawaii anytime soon.”
CT&T’s partner in the South Carolina venture, 2AM Group a provider of technical services to the auto industry, doesn’t sound optimistic. Brian Jones, the company’s manager said, “They’re still getting everything together to be able to set up the manufacturing operations. So far, their marketing systems have to be improved to be able to justify production here. They have a good product, that’s the sad thing about it.”
Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth which uses 3D and some great writers to give a realistic perspective on cars and car culture.
What’s wrong with that picture? Everyone knows naughty school girls wear pumps, not stilettos.
I had Frau Schmitto-san (she’s a Corporate Identity expert turned fashion designer) inspect the wardrobes.
Schoolgirl: “Stupid.”
Patent leather: “That’s PVC.”
Khaki shirt: “Ok.”
Police: “Cute.”
Then she saw the logo and yelled: “This is a rip-off of Toyota! Who are these people?”
When I told her they are Korean, she snickered and walked away.
I thought the Japanese had practically invented the naughty schoolgirl fetish.
That is one creepy picture.
Well, apparently it was an amateur job.
Not my department.
That one is a bad western interpretation of the type. I’m not sure exactly what they were going for, but that is most definitely not a seifuku sweetheart.
They should have studied examples from Key Visual Arts, Studio e-Go, Studio Pierrot or anything from the Ascii Media Works empire.
Why did I guess that Herr Schmitt would comment on the photos. PVC might be even kinkier than leather.
Not very breathable though, after about an hour the rot sets in.
But you didn’t expect that Frau Schmitt would ….
Now what about that logo?
The skirts are nice, but in the end that doesn’t sell cars. If hotties were effective car pushers, Mercury would be a top-selling brand.
These dreamers finally came to realize they can’t make money on EVs, and bailed. And the President still wants to see 1 million EVs selling by 2015. Good luck with that moon shot.
Jill Wagner, wasn’t it? Yeah, I’ve got a daughter that looked like that at that time. Good thing she’s married now. Don’t worry about her any more. Her husband kept her barefoot and pregnant and tied her down with a bunch of kids.
I can’t blame CT&T for pulling out in spite of the incentives. Electric cars don’t sell in America and the US electric grid can’t support them if they did sell. Range anxiety cripples all electric vehicles. Best bet right now if you want that type of vehicle is to buy a hybrid. Best selling hybrid? The Prius!
CT&A
Sex sells. Would you have looked at the car otherwise?
there was a car???
No, but I also wouldn’t drop $30k on one because of a booth bimbo.
Skin sells TV shows, not cars.
Irony: Driving a car like that won’t attract girls like that.
There were cars?
Brian Jones, the company’s manager said, “…They have a good product, that’s the sad thing about it.”
What that supposed to mean. Am I missing something here?
What’s wrong? -That girl is clearly wearing a tartan skirt 2 sizes too big for her.
I don’t understand why the photographer bothered to get behind shots of these women. There isn’t anything there, especially on Poly V. Chloride. There should be a photo of her next to the definition of “pancake butt”. I also don’t understand why the photographer bothered to get these “cars” in the shot….
Schoolgirl: size B
Patent leather: size A
Khaki shirt: size C
Police: between B & C
Have multiple tentacles point out the multiple selling points of the displayed car.
+1
WWWTP? Someone got the wrong battery powered appliances for the photo shoot.
I doubt those babes would be interested in the guys that drive those cars.
No babe will be interested in guys driving those cart.
Someone else said this before (I forget who):
Does it really make sense for Hawaiians to use EVs when 3/4 of their electricity is generated from burning GASOLINE?
“Does it really make sense for Hawaiians to use EVs when 3/4 of their electricity is generated from burning GASOLINE?”
Absolutely, because long range plans for HECO are to generate electricity w/o burning oil. If there was ever a case for solar and wind energy Hawaii is it!
Geothermal, you’d think, would be the obvious choice.
The big island has had a geothermal plant for decades
Having attractive people standing around your product is one thing, but for so brazenly objectifying women in hopes that I’ll buy a golf cart, they have my boycott. Not that they need it, it seems.
EV’s on small island states/nations make a lot more sense; when there’s only so far you *can* go, range anxiety is much better contained as a psychological/market problem. The fact that they have a geothermal plant producing 20% of the big island’s electricity is a good step forward, though I’m not aware of plans or possibilities for expansion. Also see: Iceland.
I question CT&T management’s decision to even think about producing EV in Hawaii. It has the highest cost of living, cost of labour, cost of petrol, and so on. It makes no sense unless your are producing items such as Hawaiian shirts, macadamia nuts, pineapples, ukulele, surfboards and so on to target tourists.
It has to be a fly by night operation where profit and shareholders’ interest are never a priority.
That was the first red flag I saw–saying you’d consider Hawaii for any vehicle-manufacturing facility casts doubt on the credibility of anything else you might say. Everything connected with manufacturing in Hawaii would have to be prohibitively expensive. The only advantage I can think of is that you’re closer to Asian and Australian markets should you want to export there (but only by half an ocean).
Given that this is/was a Korean company, seems to me the Hawaii idea was a ploy for some Korean executives/investors to enjoy a few rounds of golf. (South Carolina is a little more plausible given that it does actually have BMW.)
And when the retail electricity price is about $0.30 / KWh