Coda to accept deposits for electric sedan

Coda Automotive Inc., a startup electric-car company in Santa Monica, said Tuesday that it would start taking deposits for its four-door, five-passenger sedan this week and would begin delivering the cars in December.

The automaker is pricing the car at $44,900, a sticker price above electric vehicle offerings from the much larger General Motors Co. and Nissan North America Inc. that also go on sale later this year.

The Coda will be will be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit and $5,000 California tax rebate, which brings the price down to $32,400. The company said its namesake car would be eligible for carpool-lane access through 2015.

The Chevrolet Volt, the first mass-market electric vehicle from General Motors, will go on sale this year with a sticker price starting at $41,000 — but the federal tax credit will reduce the cost to $33,500. In December, the all-electric Nissan Leaf hatchback is slated to go on sale with a starting price of $32,780, but will be eligible for both the federal and state incentives, bringing its price down to $20,280.

The all-electric Coda will have a 90- to 120-mile range, depending on driving speed, weather and other factors. The cars are built on a chassis manufactured in China and based on a design licensed from Mitsubishi Motors Corp. but greatly modified by Coda. About a third of the vehicle, primarily its electric power train, is made in the United States. Final assembly of the vehicles, including installation of the powertrain, is expected to take place at a factory in Benicia, Calif.

Drivers interested in the vehicle should check out https://www.codaautomotive.com. The automaker is collecting refundable $500 deposits from people who want to reserve cars. Coda plans to offer a three-year or 36,000-mile warranty on the vehicle and a battery warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles.

Rather than set up a dealership network, Coda initially plans to sell the vehicle directly to consumers through showrooms in Santa Monica and the Bay Area.

jerry.hirsch@latimes.com