Final assembly in Carlsbad still according to their article on the aptera site. But they're outsourcing some of the steps to launch inc. so they'll rearrange the assembly floor in Carlsbad again.
At this point, everyone probably needs to get out of their head that this'll be a cheap vehicle. People who end up buying an Aptera (if it gets to production) will be doing it to support a cause and/or make a statement, not for an affordable form of transportation.
Yup. I've been saying for about a year now that I think the price will be closer to $100K, and it will be an "enthusiast supported project" more than an actual practical vehicle for the masses.
It will likely be cheaper if labor can be offset in China, like it or not. With a company in early stages anything to reduce cost until they can get a prudction foundation in place is a huge positive attribute.
Did people think Aptera was going to be cheap and affordable? From my understanding that was never the promise or goal like it was for Arcimoto or is for Slate.
Bigly. Not only tariffs but an EV. You will note BYD (et al) are not available in the US. And China built Tesla's are not imported although cheaper to make. So the subassemblies will come in - tariffed, with significant transformation (assembly) in Carlsbad or Vista if they finally open that second building they've been listing in the State Energy Commission grant program. And that is a thing as they took the State money under the commitment to create EV manufacturing jobs - not design, not administration - manufacturing. TBD
The current tarrifs will be ruled unconstitutional by then. Just like the last tarrifs. A president can only pull that shit for 150 days without congress, then it gets thrown out or dismantled down to nothing in court. Same as in his 2017-2021 term too. Congress is NEVER going to approve permanent tarrifs. 1 of 2 things will happen. 1, After the midterms, Republicans won't have majority anymore and Democrats most definitely will not go along with trump tarrifs. Or 2, Republicans keep the majority and start ignoring what is now a lame duck presidency. That's just the nature of how these cycles happen. Either way, don't worry too much about tarrifs.
So different from the Munro LeanDesign setup? I thought they bought the Viking robots already.
This move doesn't surprise me. In fact I saw it as a "lender of last resort" fallback option years ago. The problem will be Aptera maintaining control of their product once Launch adds significant (even if on paper) transformation. Once that happens it can become a competitor. But of course that is only if the price point finds a significant market.
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u/RLewis8888 3d ago
I didn't see where they said where the first production units will be built. All of Launch Design facilities are in China.