Detroit Electric to Partner with Geely in China

At the Shanghai Auto Show on April 25, Detroit Electric, a start-up electric-car maker, said it will form a joint venture with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. to develop electric vehicles to sell in the Chinese market. The two companies are jointly developing an electric version of Geely’s Emgrand EC7, which is a compact sedan similar to a Honda Civic. The electric car will be called the Emgrand EC7-EV and will go on sale under the Geely brand in the first quarter of 2014. The model is expected to offer a medium-range (up to 165 km per charge) and a long-range (up to 258 km per charge) option. Detroit Electric and Geely expect say they expect sales to reach 3,000 in the first 12 months and 30,000 in the first three years the car is on the market. Detroit Electric will manufacture components for the electric car near Geely’s headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.