Coda promises vehicles this week
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LOS ANGELES -- Coda Automotive said it is slowly ramping up production of electric vehicles after repairing damage to parts shipped from China.
The Coda Sedan's bodies and powertrain are produced in China. Final assembly takes place in Benicia, Calif..
Coda, of Los Angeles, repaired the minor damage to the parts, a spokeswoman said. She noted that each of Coda's four dealers, all in California, has vehicles for test drives. Coda's Los Angeles dealership is scheduled to receive its first 10 Sedans for sale by midweek, she said.
The Sedan seats five, has an EPA-certified range of 88 miles on a full charge and a base price of $38,145, including shipping.
Originally, the company planned to sell the Sedan in California in late 2010, before multiple delays.
CEO Phil Murtaugh, hired in January 2011, changed some Coda operations. For instance, he dumped the company's original plan to sell vehicles at factory-owned stores in lieu of a more traditional franchised-dealer network.
Last month, Coda announced an alliance with Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor Co. that Murtaugh said will spawn an EV co-developed by the companies in the second quarter of 2014.
In a statement, Murtaugh said the company is ramping up production of its first vehicle slowly to ensure vehicle quality.
"We have opted for a slow production acceleration in order to ensure flawless execution at every step of our operating system, which includes component supply from four continents, manufacturing operations at two locations in China and one location in the U.S., logistics pipeline and dealer delivery process," Murtaugh said in a statement to Automotive News.
Production and delivery of vehicles to dealers will increase in the coming months, Murtaugh said.
You can reach Ryan Beene at rbeene@crain.com. -- Follow Ryan on 
