Thursday, September 06, 2007

The Fetish Is Almost Here

fetish2.jpg

Electric car startup Venturi will start rolling out its first electric sports car this month, says Greentech Media, which recently talked to the CEO. And yes, it has the unfortunate name of the Fetish.

Name aside, it’s about time — the Monaco-based company talked up the car at the 2004 Paris Motorshow. But while Venturi will only produce five a year and sell them for 450,000 euros ($612,225) apiece, the Fetish could be positive for the electric car market on buzz factor alone. As San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently pointed out about the Tesla Roadster, the industry needs high-profile cars like these to spread awareness and expand the market beyond just the early-adopter earth-loving set. Well, in this case, just to the extremely wealthy.