Par
Uolif
Production encore repoussée..
Reçu par mail :
Unfortunately, we have bad news today. We have decided to postpone the first deliveries of the Microlino. This may be surprising, but we want to explain you the real story behind it:
In 2015 we have started the Microlino project. After having presented our first prototype in Geneva after 15 months of development, we were looking for partners to help us bring the Microlino into mass production. With Tazzari (TMI) we have found the ideal partner: In 2009 TMI brought to market their first electric citycar under the brand Tazzari and probably has the most experience in this category of vehicles in Europe. In April 2016 we made an agreement with TMI, based on a mutual understanding of rights and responsibilities.
After three years of working together, we were surprised to hear, that our partner TMI was sold to a German company named Artega. Unfortunately there was no change of control clause in our agreement and we could do nothing against the sale. Because the owner of Artega named Klaus Frers is CEO of paragon and chairman of the supervisory board of Voltabox, which are both listed on the stock-exchange, Tazzari was not allowed to tell us beforehand about the sale of their company. We had no other choice than to try to position this sale positively in the news.
Behind the scenes, it was very different: not a single former employee or manager of TMI remained in the company which resulted in a massive know-how loss. The sale of TMI and the relocation of the production to Germany has taken a lot of time. In addition, we disagree with the new CEO Klaus Frers about the quality standards, further development and production of the Microlino.
The production of the first series vehicles has already been pre-financed by us more than a year ago, but the current development state does not satisfy our quality requirements. It is our goal to bring to market a high-quality and price-worthy vehicle, that is why we decided to postpone the first deliveries to allow TMI more time to complete the development for a Microlino that is ready for mass-production.
We are very sorry to have disappointed you. In the last five years we have worked very hard and passionately to make our vision a reality. But setbacks are part of entrepreneurship and we are working very hard to bring the Microlino on the road as fast as possible.
Because of the delay, we are also postponing the downpayments for all reservation holders. Despite that, we will upload the configurator this month, so that you can already configure your very own Microlino. You will also get your personal priority code via email, that will ensure faster delivery once production starts.
If you have questions or ideas, feel free to answer us to this email.
Kind regards,
Oliver, Merlin and Wim Ouboter