Denmark-headquartered ThinkCity, the Ford Motor Company controlled manufacturer of a battery powered ‘about town’ car, is scheduled for a pan-European launch in the second half of this year, backed by a €23 million ($20.14m; £14.04m) marketing campaign.
As yet it is uncertain whether the account will be handed to ThinkCity’s incumbent agency Oslo-based Virtual Garden; or to an extant Ford-approved network such as Ogilvy & Mather.
Designed specifically for inner-city use, ThinkCity has a top speed of around 100 kilometers per hour (62.5mph) and will travel 85km between battery charges. Around fifty percent of initial production is slated for the European market, which is expected to reach 100,000 units annually by 2010. The US will account for the remainder.
Ford acquired a majority stake in ThinkCity last year after its founding company ran into financial difficulties. The fledgling auto will start to roll off the production line this spring at Ford's Akershus, Norway plant. It will also be manufactured in the US.
Data sourced from: AdAge Global; additional content by WARC staff
