Photo: Canoo
Canoo changed a lot in the last few months. It was not supposed to sell its cars, applying circular economy principles to its products, but that did not last. Its new CEO, Tony Aquila, decided it will sell its EVs like almost everyone else. To produce them, Aquila announced Canoo selected VDL Nedcar as its manufacturing supplier.
If you have never heard of VDL Nedcar, it produces BMWs and Minis in the Netherlands, much like Magna does in Austria. For Canoo, the Dutch company will be responsible for Phase 1 manufacturing, which will take place while the American company builts what it calls a “mega microfactory.” Considering the mega and the micro must neutralize each other, it must be an ordinary plant.
VDL Nedcar aims to produce up to 1,000 vehicles both for the American and European markets in 2022. The low number is due to when Canoo expects to start producing its “Lifestyle Vehicle,” which you also know as a van: Q4 in that year.
In 2023, it should produce up to 15,000 vehicles. Apart from the van, Canoo will also offer the “Multi-Purpose Delivery Van” and the “Pickup Truck.”
Canoo has not disclosed any goal for opening its Phase 2 in Oklahoma. However, the press release gives us the impression that, once it is completed, VDL Nedcar may stop producing Canoo vehicles.
It is not clear why Canoo changed its plans so much. What we know is that Ulrich Kranz resigned on April 22. He was a co-founder of the company and its CEO until that point. Andrew Wolstan, Canoo’s chief lawyer, also left on the same date. Before them, Canoo also lost its chief financial officer, its head of corporate strategy, its head of powertrain development, and Phil Weicker, another of its founders.
The common point for the departures seems to be the company going public through a SPAC merger. Aquila is presented in the press release as “investor, chairman, and CEO” of Canoo. In the company’s first call with investors as a public company, Aquila was the one speaking, not Kranz, which raised questions if he was still in charge.
VDL Nedcar aims to produce up to 1,000 vehicles both for the American and European markets in 2022. The low number is due to when Canoo expects to start producing its “Lifestyle Vehicle,” which you also know as a van: Q4 in that year.
In 2023, it should produce up to 15,000 vehicles. Apart from the van, Canoo will also offer the “Multi-Purpose Delivery Van” and the “Pickup Truck.”
Canoo has not disclosed any goal for opening its Phase 2 in Oklahoma. However, the press release gives us the impression that, once it is completed, VDL Nedcar may stop producing Canoo vehicles.
It is not clear why Canoo changed its plans so much. What we know is that Ulrich Kranz resigned on April 22. He was a co-founder of the company and its CEO until that point. Andrew Wolstan, Canoo’s chief lawyer, also left on the same date. Before them, Canoo also lost its chief financial officer, its head of corporate strategy, its head of powertrain development, and Phil Weicker, another of its founders.
The common point for the departures seems to be the company going public through a SPAC merger. Aquila is presented in the press release as “investor, chairman, and CEO” of Canoo. In the company’s first call with investors as a public company, Aquila was the one speaking, not Kranz, which raised questions if he was still in charge.
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