Now would you say the car's got a
![Grin ;D](https://www.autos.ca/forum/Smileys/CarTalk/grin.gif)
kind of smile or mustaches are back in fashion?
The reason the big 3 are so behind in bringing a working production EV to the market is the same as the former soviet communist party couldn't get around to saw a pair of jeans. Their bureaucratic structure is too clumsy and inertial and now they have a depression and the unions to sink them down together with the R&D team.
Tesla with no experience in cars whatsoever has brought an economically viable and very well running sports car in only a few years. It took BMW about a year to make 500 production ready Minis . Allegedly both used AC Propulsion for the drivetrain, even tho Tesla never confirmed it.
So after all it is very much doable if they can lease a lab exhibit for a mere $850, where some of it is insurance cost. It seems a few years from now we will be able to go to a Nissan dealership and buy an EV for less than a equivalent gas car is sold today, sans the batteries, but "batteries are not included". IIRC Nissan says their cost of Li-ions is around 5-10k. Add retail mark up and you get a 10 thou car (without an engine) plus up to 15 grand worth of batteries which comes to 25k in total. Now if batteries are leased on their lease you would pay the same as you'd spend on gas anyway so in the end of equation there is a clean 10k car. If you ask me this model is way wiser than one of Agassi's. Time will tell however..