Can Sono deliver?
Outsourcing production to NEVS is one of Sono's self-described "key differentiators" in its strategy to produce the car efficiently and in a way that's scalable. The others are doing only B2C sales, thus eliminating brick and mortar stores; no need for steel stamping because of the aluminum space frame; and no paint job because of the solar panels. But NEVS is a tricky one to rely on. The company is owned by the Chinese firm Evergrande, a company that has $88 billion in outstanding debt and is threatening a global financial crisis.
"NEVS has been our production partner since 2019 and we have been in close exchange ever since and currently remain so," said Christians. "The production of the Sion is currently not affected by the restructuring. Facility preparations for pre-series production, planned in 2022, and Sion series production, planned for the first half of 2023, are running according to plan."
Sono Motors is working on some backup plans, just in case. Plan A is still to manufacture the Sion at NEVS, but the company is exploring alternative scenarios and options, including the use of available capacities of other European contract manufacturers, according to Christians.
That said, NEVS is looking for a new owner, so maybe it'll be alright for Sono in the end, but the startup probably can't afford production delays. In 2018, Sono had 7,000 preorders that were meant to make it to customers by 2019. Those orders were postponed until 2021. If Sono doesn't start delivering and scaling soon, it'll face more than just reputation issues.
Quelle: www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...zJ1bFWUSVW0BJZz37qXa3cUOJj8zbT
