AVASS to build EVs

Former Brighsun chief executive Allen Saylav has taken the helm of Australia’s first electric car, bus and light commercial manufacturer AVASS.

The Melbourne-based electric vehicle maker has a newly-leased 12,500 square-metre factory at Avalon in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, and will build under the AVA brand including electric buses, cars, motorcycles and trucks.

It will focus mainly on commercial vehicles, AVASS will focus on 12-metre city passenger, 12-metre coach and nine-metre passenger buses along with small trucks under 7000kg.

“These vehicles will supply the Australian marketplace with plans to ship orders to New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region when required,” Saylav says.

AVASS is confident the company will generate jobs and help partially fill the void left by departing giants Holden, Toyota and Ford.

Fully-supported by the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, the organisation has entered into a five-year lease at Avalon, with the capacity to hire up to 500 people.

Bus models include the Matilda for city-route service applications as well as the AVASS touring bus.

The first Australian–made AMA vehicles will roll off the assembly line in July.