BROADWAY — Two major rental car companies will offer Santa Monica-based CODA Automotive’s all-electric sedan next year.
The four-door, five-passenger vehicle can plug into standard outlets and gets 90-120 miles per six-hour charge. A shorter, two-hour charge can give it 40 miles of driving.
Last month, Enterprise and CODA announced they would bring up to 100 CODA sedans to Enterprise locations through 2011, and this week a second rental business, Hertz, said it will be offering Sedans at some Southern California locations and in San Francisco next year.
Hertz, however, said it will announce “in the near future” exactly how many sedans it’s bringing to airport rental locations along with other details of the partnership.
CODA this week also announced a preliminary agreement with Essex Credit Corp., a subsidiary of Bank of the West, to provide financing for customers of the 2011 Coda sedan.
“CODA’s sales process eliminates the hassle most consumers have come to expect when buying a car,” said Mac Heller, CEO, CODA Automotive. “In partnership with Essex, we will provide a simple process for our customers to identify, apply and qualify for competitive financing options in seconds.”
Customers who purchase an all-electric vehicle from CODA will have the option of applying for credit from their financial institution of choice or directly on the CODA website via an Essex portal. At CODA’s retail locations, customers will be able to apply for credit at kiosks on their own or with the help of a CODA associate. These locations will focus on consumer education and test drives, while vehicles will be delivered directly to consumers.
