The EV1

How does one sell a car that isn't a complete product yet? This was the problem facing GM with their electric vehicle, the EV1. Pre-dating Tesla, it was originally positioned as a mass-market vehicle. After the first wave of advertising, the strategy couldn't live up to its promise. A new target was identified: technology early adopters: people who could appreciate the car even with its shortcomings. This proved to be the right strategy. Dealers met their monthly lease quotas until GM, feeling the pinch from Japanese hybrids, scrapped the project. For the whole story of the EV1’s demise, see the documentary, “Who Killed the Electric Car?”