Studebaker Motor Company was sent to the history books when it built its last car in 1966.
Over 40 years later, a company in Colorado is working hard on reviving the brand. It has yet to show a prototype, but CEO Ric W. Reed has drafted a six-step business plan in an attempt to obtain the necessary funding from investors.
The first step is to sell Studebaker-badged gasoline and electric scooters. Reed hopes that starting small will help the brand build up the necessary cash to develop its first car. The scooters will be assembled in the United States, but a vast majority of the parts will come from China, India, and/or Taiwan.
The second step calls for Studebaker to launch its first vehicle. It will likely be a modern take on the Lark, but nothing is set in stone yet, except that it needs to be “a ‘green’ high gas mileage, low or zero emissions gas or diesel-electric series hybrid sedan, and should be made (or final assembly) in North America.”
So far what the car will look like is unknown, and the concept cars displayed on the brand’s website do not reflect the future. Reed said in a statement that he has yet to see a satisfactory design for a modern-day Lark, and that he is open to submissions from auto designers.
In the subsequent steps, Studebaker will increase production as it reintroduces historical models such as the Hawk and the Champ. It also plans on launching a new car that is tentatively called Avonaco.
The brand hopes to eventually become a major player in the American auto industry and boast a complete lineup that includes scooters, motorcycles, passenger cars, pickup trucks, limousines and taxis. When and if that happens, the last step in the plan dictates that the company will go public on the stock market.
Photo by Ronan Glon.
