Norwegian automaker to sell a sub-$25K electric car in US

These electric Think City cars are in production in Norway. (Business Wire)

LOS ANGELES—A Norwegian automaker plans to sell an electric car in the United States that goes 110 miles without a charge and costs less than $25,000.

The company, Think Global, said two venture capital firms are funding the U.S. operation. Think North America is likely to be based in Southern California and the cars will be assembled locally, investors said.

They intend to put the first model on the market by the end of 2009.

The car, named Think City, is a two-seater with a top speed of about 65 mph, the company said. It runs on sodium batteries and is 95 percent recyclable.

It's "a mass-market vehicle," said Ray Lane of venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. "Our desire is to be selling 30-40-50,000 of these cars in a couple of years."

Think Chief Executive Jan-Olaf Willums said test vehicles will be brought to the U.S. in coming months.

Ford Motor Co. owned Think for five years, leasing vehicles in the U.S. before selling the company in 2004.

Only a few major automakers, including Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motor Co., have announced plans to make all-electric cars.

------

On the Net:

http://www.thinkglobalforum.com/