HK Plant to Open in Alabama
By autoguy in Latest News on January 26th, 2010
This week, Chinese automaker Hybrid Kinetic Motors announced plans to open a plant in Alabama later this year. This is great news for at least 6,000 autoworkers laid off in 2009 by the Big Three, not to speak of the numerous suppliers that will be needed to support production. It’s good news for the environment as well, as HK slates the plant for eco-friendly cars, with natural gas for fuel.
Since the US is the second largest natural gas producer worldwide (CIA Factbook, 2009), we will be — as the mantra goes — finally “decreasing our dependency on foreign oil.” HK’s car will get 45 miles per gallon, and emit about three ounces per mile of CO2 exhaust (or 50 grams per kilometer).
Natural Gas Vehicles (or NGVs) are the latest trend in green, environmentally friendly cars, as they emit 93 percent less carbon monoxide than regular gas vehicles. Although they cost about $30,000 to $50,000 more to produce, natural gas is just one third the price of regular gas, and is much more stably priced. If that is not enough to convince a buyer to front the extra cost, NGVs typically require less routine maintenance than regular cars, because the gas burns so cleanly that there is less wear and tear on engine parts.
On the flip side, though there are around 120,000 NGVs in the US (mostly fleet vehicles), as of last year, there are only 1,300 fueling stations for NGVs with many not open to the public. Riders complain that NGVs aren’t roomy, as the lower-density gas needs more storage space. Finally, NGVs have more limited range than regular gas vehicles, around 220 miles compared to 350 miles for the same car (Honda Civic GX vs. Civic).
The eight initial models for the HK plant will be designed by world-famous designer Giorgetto Guigiaro, of DeLorean fame (featured in the “Back to the Future” movie series. He also did a 2006 Mustang prototype). The concept car of this week’s press conference was in fact the Quaranta, recycled from the 2008 Geneva International Motors Show, a fact that was not denied, but not publicized either. It’s generally acknowledged that this is not likely to be the production model (whew! it has two front passenger seats, with the driver in the middle), but the flagship product is to be a sports car.
HK plans to produce about one million cars annually when it meets full capacity in 2018, and later produce vans, trucks and SUVs. When production begins in 2012, it will bring the US back to 14 million cars per year, with HK motors producing a significant share of the domestic auto market.
