Gibbs Technologies officially opened its 37,500-sq-ft/3,484-sq-m headquarters and research center in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Nov. 14 with a preview of its high-speed amphibian vehicle technology. It also announced the development of a number of new products.
The facility, which employs about 80 people, will house the company’s engineering and management teams, and also serve as the hub of purchasing, logistics and other activities leading up to full-scale production of the company’s Quadski and Aquada products.
The Quadski is an all-terrain, high-speed amphibian vehicle scheduled to go into production in the last quarter of 2009, with introduction to the market in early 2010, according to Neil Jenkins, Gibbs’ CEO. The Aquada is a three-passenger amphibian sports car capable of traveling more than 100 mph on land and 30 mph on water. Start-up of production on the Aquada is scheduled for the final quarter of 2010. Both the Quadski and Aquada feature glass-fiber composite body panels, and, in the case of the Aquada, a glass-fiber reinforced cockpit and hull/lower body.
Jenkins says poor economic conditions did not play a role in the decision to push back the production start-up date for the Aquada from 2009 to late 2010. “The car was designed in Europe, and after we evaluated market research we found a number of comfort features you need in the U.S. market that you probably don’t need in Europe,” said Jenkins. “We’re updating the design, so the delay has nothing to do with market conditions.”
Alan Gibbs, chief technology officer, said he and Jenkins have spent about $120 million of their own money developing the Quadski and Aquada so far, and have enough cash in reserve to stay on course with production plans, despite the expected economic downturn. Gibbs also said the company has an agreement with Lockheed Martin to develop a “first responder” vehicle based on the company’s patented high-speed land/water propulsion technology. The vehicle will be designed for rescue and emergency use by civil defense, National Guard, police and fire departments. The company plans to have one vehicle designed and built for customer evaluation within 12 months. “There’s been tremendous interest from the military in our technology,” Gibbs said. “We currently have nine different types of vehicle under development.”
The company has yet to finalize a choice for a manufacturing site. Jenkins said management is evaluating a number of options for a site, and is also looking for systems suppliers and contract manufacturers.