GTA MyCar

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GTA
HK Campus Open Day PolyU MyCar display exhibit X038 02.JPG
GTA MyCar
Innovech MyCar
EuAuto CV.2
EuAuto CV.4
Production period: since 2006
Class : Microcar
Body versions : Coupé , cabriolet , panel van , pickup
Engines:
Otto engines : 0.05–0.25 liters
(4–15 kW)
Electric motor :
5.15 kW
Length: 2570-2653 mm
Width: 1400-1401 mm
Height: 1408-1500 mm
Wheelbase : 1690-1691 mm
Empty weight : 320-726 kg

The GTA MyCar , also known as "Innovech Mycar", is a small car of the GTA brand , whereby the car model and car brand are now both owned by the American company WM GreenTech Automotive Corp. belong.

Model and company development

The concept of the microcar MyCar included a car for big city traffic. The development activities for the realization of this car began to take shape when the design school of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Milan School of Design designed and built the first prototypes for it in a joint project in 2002 . For the Italian side, Italdesign got involved in the project under the direction of Giorgetto Giugiaro . As a spin-off project from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Innovech International Ltd. was founded in 2003 . founded by Kingdom Fine Metal Ltd. and the Jingmei Group has been given a proportion of capital and know-how. The newly established company was entrusted with the marketing of the car. The Hong Kong government took this as an opportunity to promote the metropolis as a center for design innovation and provided Hong Kong dollars 2 million to commercialize the MyCar. The Kingdom Group, based in Hong Kong, and the Jingmei Group, based in Beijing, are active in metal and plastic processing. Innovech International, the newly founded company, then exhibited the model with a revised design concept at the Bologna Motor Show in December 2003. After the preparations for production, combined with a number of difficulties, production of the model finally began in Hong Kong in the second quarter of 2006. In the same year Innovech International was renamed EuAuto Technology Limited . Due to the great demand, the MyCar was initially only available in the Southeast Asian markets . From 2008 the MyCar was manufactured in the EuAuto Technology Limited plant for export to France , Great Britain and Austria . These export models were called EuAuto CV.2 and EuAuto CV.4 . These can be recognized by the MyCar symbol on the front of the car. In October 2009, EuAuto Technology Limited finally brought an electric version of the MyCar into series production .

In spring 2010, the American company WM GreenTech Automotive Corp. bought the Hong Kong company EuAuto Technology Limited from Tysons Corner for 100 million Hong Kong dollars (13 million US dollars).

WM GreenTech Automotive Corp. planned to mass-produce the electric version of the MyCar, which until then had only been produced in small series .; a factory of the subsidiary GreenTech Automotive Incorporated, located in Tunica County , Mississippi / USA , was supposed to be used not only for the production of hybrid cars but also for the large-scale production of the MyCar from 2014. In order to keep the price of the MyCar down, some of the required components should be imported into the USA from cheap countries such as China. Analysts viewed the feasibility of the ambitious plan with skepticism. But before that, production in the United States was supposed to start as early as October 31, 2011 in a rented production facility in Horn Lake , Mississippi, and this may have happened. This temporary transition location would be used until the production facility in Tunica County was ready. According to the original plans, the production and assembly hall in Tunica should be completed in April 2014. It was finally finished in October 2014. According to the planning, the production equipment in the assembly hall should be set up by the end of November 2014 so that series production of the MyCar in Tunica should then begin. In fact, production started at some point in Tunica County.
Finally, in January 2017, the Associated Press reported that GreenTech Automotive would close its production plant on the Mississippi - after about two years of operation.

In the summer of 2011 it was announced that WM GreenTech Automotive Corp. in a joint venture with the Chinese investment firm Shenyang ZhongRui Investment Co. would start building a vehicle factory in Ordos , Inner Mongolia . The construction of 300,000 production units per year was planned in advance. The new joint venture company would be called Ordos GreenTech Automotive Co. Analysts recently expressed doubts about the company's development strategy and the skills of its boss Terence McAuliffe . At the end of 2012, McAuliffe handed over management of the company to someone else.

The MyCar project

Rear view of the Innovech MyCar

The aim of the MyCar project was to create a vehicle that is adapted to the traffic in large cities. The construction had to be designed in such a way that the increased tendency to wear of the components on the vehicle due to the increasing traffic chaos is counteracted by a robust construction. Italdesign developed the entire vehicle concept according to the specifications , with Giorgetto Giugiaro taking over the vehicle design. Italdesign introduced the design back in 2003. The vehicle model was then built on an extruded steel chassis. In order to avoid rust damage, it was decided to use a plastic body. The lightweight plastic panels manufactured using the deep-drawing process are built on the steel chassis and a reinforced tubular aluminum frame. Depending on the body shape, the model is available as a closed unit or as a convertible with a removable hardtop . With the hardtop version, there is also the option of having lowered doors installed. With this option, entry is only possible via a raised parapet, comparable to that of beach buggies. The door itself is retracted into a corresponding parapet cladding. This is why it can be left open during the journey. The direct competitor of the MyCar is the smart fortwo . The smart forfour and the comparable smart crossblade were formerly direct competitors of the model. Furthermore, all possible two-seater microcars are competitors, such as some models from the Aixam company from France and the like. As a commercial vehicle, the MyCar is also available as an extended van version and a mini pickup. The bulbous design of the MyCar is only designed as a protection factor in the event of an accident and should appear a little sportier thanks to 6-spoke 15-inch alloy wheels.

The rear-engined MyCar is powered by air-cooled single-cylinder gasoline engines. The entry-level model is the 4 kW 50 cm³ version. More powerful engines with 125, 150, 180 and 250 cm³ are also available on request. The top speeds of the MyCars start at 45 km / h and end at 85 km / h with the top engine. Because of the low speed, the manufacturer only uses a two-speed manual transmission. For a long time, an electric version was only available as a concept vehicle . A planned series production of the same was originally dropped due to lack of interest, but was tackled later in October 2009. The motor output is 5.15 kW, the range with lead-gel batteries is 115 km; the maximum speed is 66 km / h. The price for this electric version is Hong Kong dollars 97,000. Alternatively, the company relied on hybrid engines, which are based on the standard engines offered by the company and have the same performance characteristics. The motorization of the electric version has been revised by GreenTech Automotive. The engine output is now 7.8 kW and is equipped with a three-speed manual transmission. The top speed is 56.3 km / h; A LiFePO 4 traction battery with 16.7 kWh is now used to store energy. The range is 104.6 km. The price, which depends on the equipment, starts at US $ 17,140 in the USA.

The interior is also an Italdesign construction. The dashboard only contains a fuel gauge and a speedometer. The seats are firmly connected to the steel frame. Only three-point seat belts for the driver and front passenger are used for protection. An MP3 connection is standard in the MyCar. A storage compartment in the dashboard is used for storage. Nets are also available in the doors. If more storage space is required, for example when shopping items and luggage are present, there is a front trunk like the VW Beetle .

Production started in Hong Kong in the first year (2006) with 1,000 units; the current number is at a maximum plant utilization of 2,000 units. An automobile plant in Dongguan in the Chinese province of Guangdong on the Chinese mainland is also already in operation; the production of the small series there is to be continued.

EuAuto

The versions of the EuAuto were again designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The MyCar only got a minor facelift . For Europe, the safety technology of the model has also been revised so that the body adapted for this has different dimensions and also complies with European safety standards. In contrast to the version built for Southeast Asia, the two models have a more modern interior.

Similar looking car models

A similar looking model is the Lutom Chaowei EV . How it relates to GTA Mycar has to be clarified.

Web links

Commons : GTA MyCar  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mandy Leung, John A. Mathews: Origin and dynamics of university spinoff enterprises in Hong Kong ( Memento of March 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Conference Paper, September 2006, p. 22 (English) PDF
  2. ↑ Alysha Webb: Innovech touts its champion in the microcar race Plastics News, "China" section, December 1, 2005 (English)
  3. ↑ Domenick Yoney: MyCar meets world again at British International Motor Show AutoBlogGreen Internet portal, July 21, 2008 (English)
  4. ↑ a b Electric vehicle "mycar" makes first journey in Hong Kong TheAutoChannel Internet portal, October 23, 2009 (English)
  5. ↑ Greentech Automotive acquires EuAuto technology New Statesman, May 24, 2010 (English)
  6. ^ Sophie He: Driving force ( memento from June 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) The Standard (Hong Kong), June 7, 2010 (English)
  7. ↑ John Duce: GreenTech Buys Hong Kong's EuAuto to build Mycar Electric Vehicle in US Bloomberg Internet portal, "News" section, May 17, 2010 (English)
  8. ↑ Danny King: Mississippi automaker unveils $ 15k MyCar electric car, gets visit from Bill Clinton AutoblogGreen Internet portal, July 14, 2012 (English)
  9. ↑ Lisa Lerer, Liza Lin: Terry McAuliffe pursues a new shade of green with MyCar project Bloomberg Internet portal, "News" section, October 7, 2010 (English)
  10. ↑ Robert Lee Long: Greentech to begin production: October timetable disc losed Desoto Times Online, July 29, 2011
  11. ↑ a b Danny King: GreenTech Automotive breaks ground on MyCar factory in Mississippi AutoblogGreen Internet portal, January 10, 2014 (English)
  12. ↑ GreenTech opens Electric-Vehicle production plant in Tunica, Miss. ElectricCarsReport Internet portal, October 23, 2014 (English)
  13. ↑ Stephen Edelstein: GreenTech Auto shutters its doors, closes Mississippi factory. GreenCarReports Internet portal, January 19, 2017 (English)
  14. ↑ GreenTech, Shengyang ZhongRui to build green vehicles in China Automotive Business Review online, August 8, 2011 (English)
  15. ↑ Ray Jing: GreenTech to make green cars in China China Automotive Review online, August 15, 2011 (English)
  16. ↑ Charles Child: When you do the math, promoter extraordinaire Terry McAuliffe's grand hybrid vehicle plan just doesn't add up Automotive News online, September 5, 2011 (English)
  17. ↑ Jeff Cobb: GreenTech promises American-made electric cars this year gm-volt.com Internet portal, September 9, 2011 (English)
  18. ↑ Jamais Cascio: Chinese car, Italian design, global market ( Memento of July 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Worldchanging Internet portal, January 26, 2006 (English)
  19. ^ Roland Wildberg: MyCar electric car: Gnom from Hong Kong AutoBILD, "greencars" section, November 2, 2009
  20. ↑ Jay Cole: GreenTech prices new city EV from $ 17,410, Sedan from $ 21,250. InsideEVs Internet portal, September 23, 2014 (English)
  21. ↑ Innovech International Mycar Softpedia Forum, "Auto News" section, January 23, 2006 (English)
  22. ↑ George Ng: HK-designed MyCar to hit the US market next year China Daily online, section "HongKong Business", May 18, 2010 (English)
  23. ^ Tycho de Feijter: Shandong EV Expo in China: the Lutom Chaowei. CarNewsChina Internet portal, March 24, 2015 (English)