Frequently Asked Questions

Business and Project Related Questions

What is a social enterprise?

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Social enterprises are social mission driven organizations which trade in goods or services for a social purpose. Their aim to accomplish targets that are social and environmental as well as financial is often referred to as having a triple bottom line. Social enterprises are profit-making businesses set up to tackle a social or environmental need. They often use blended value business models that combine a revenue-generating business with a social-value-generating structure or component. Many commercial businesses would consider themselves to have social objectives, but social enterprises are distinctive because their social or environmental purpose is central to what they do.

Can an automotive social enterprise succeed in today's competitive environment?

We strongly believe so. There is a rising generation of young men and women who are keenly aware of the need for businesses to play a greater role in supporting the causes of justice around the world. To be more specific, businesses that put their humanitarian and environmental mission above that of shareholder profits. There are a number of such companies in the food and beverages industry. One example is Newman's Own which donated over $270 Million to charities since 1985. And that is the business model that GOY aspires to. Another similar example is Bosch. If GOY can successfully execute this model in the auto manufacturing industry, we believe we will gain strong, loyal and growing customer support for our future cars. Moreover, we believe we will attract not only the best talents, but talented people with great moral depth to work for us.

How will GOY be part of the solution to tackle the issue of the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor?

We believe that it is a noble thing for those who are well-to-do to be a blessing to those who are less fortunate. In fact, it is a necessary thing as the very fabric of our society will always consists of a mixed group with varying levels of privilege in life. In the early stages (due to our low volume production), the cars that GOY makes may cater more for those with higher income. Even then, through our social enterprise business model, we will be able to "help even out the distribution" by giving back to the community consistent with our mission statement. However (i.e. in the future), it is within part of our vision to make electric cars that are more suitable for the masses.

How much funding will you need in order to complete the GOY GT prototype?

Please click here.

I understand that GOY is able to develop a new car at an amazingly competitive cost. Why is that?

We have great team with great connections and partnerships inside and outside the auto industry, notably in the area of styling and engineering. That's all we are allowed to reveal for now!

When will the GOY GT prototype be completed?

With timely and sufficient funding, we're confident we could complete the chassis, body, basic interior and fit it with all the key systems to make the GOY GT drivable within 12-18 months. We could then refine and optimise the GOY GT prototype to production feasible within 24 - 36 months. It is also highly possible to complete the car in lesser time.

How much will the production version of the GOY GT retail for?

The price for a production version of the GOY GT is not available at this stage. However, if you would like to be kept updated with the latest news on the GOY GT development as soon as it is released, simply subscribe to the GOY Fan Club newsletter (sign up form located on the right hand side of the Home page).

I understand that GOY has been developing the master plan for the vision since 2006?

Yes, since November 2006. Until recently, we have rolled up our sleeves up and worked away quietly. We've focused our time and limited resources to establish a strong foundation for GOY. The amount of work done has been tremendous. We have managed all this without employees, office building and with very tight budget. A testament of our team's dedication towards the GOY vision. However, now that we're in the fund raising stage, you will hear more about us!

This is a great and exciting vision! How will GOY finance the development of its first prototype?

We are currently looking for individuals, businesses and organisations to finance the GOY GT development. Please find more information by clicking here. We are also open to alternative collaboration ideas. Please contact us to discuss further details.

Technical Related Questions

What is 'Green Product Life Cycle'?

Green Product Life Cycle in general refers to the environmentally optimised processes and phases that a product (in our case, a car) goes through... from concept initiation, materials usage, production, distribution, application, improvement/upgrade to disposal or recycling. In all these steps, GOY will optimise all parameters so that our future cars (including the GOY GT) will achieve maximum green rating in terms of overall 'cradle-to-grave' and 'cradle-to-cradle' assessments.

What are the intended specifications for the GOY GT?

Please click here for more information.

Do you have more firm specifications for the GOY GT at the moment?

Firmer specifications will be available further along the development process. If you subscribe to the GOY Fan Club newsletter (sign up form located on the right hand side of the Home page), we will be able to keep you updated of the GOY GT development and let you know when more details are available.

I understand from the GOY GT specs that the vehicle will have an integrated wind turbine to generate supplementary energy from inherent wind resistance. Is this possible? Will this not increase the drag coefficient and thus mitigate the gain?

The wind turbine generator is integrated as part of the vehicle design and therefore has negligible effect on overall drag. In fact, without the wind turbine generator, the energy that could have been recouped due to inherent wind resistance would have been lost.

Why not develop a more practical body type (e.g. a sedan) rather than 2-door supercar?

Developing more accessible vehicles (in terms of price and body type) is our ultimate aim where future models are concerned. The reason we need to develop the GOY GT first rather than jumping straight into developing a sedan is because a 2-door supercar like the GOY GT will allow us to develop a foundation for our future vehicles and work out a creative manufacturing solution with less time and risk. Moreover, the GOY GT is a visually high-impact car, and so is extremely suitable as our first car! Do check out some of our more practical concept vehicles which we hope to build in the future.

The GOY GT has two "exhaust pipes" at the rear. I thought electric cars don't need them?

You are right. Electric cars do not need an exhaust system. The "exhaust pipes" are just part of the aesthetic design of the car. Subconsciously, many people still expect to see them as they have been part of the automobile for a very long time. We could remove them in the future (or we could just put some cool glowing lights in the "pipes" that response with greater intensity according to the vehicle's acceleration!)

More FAQs coming soon...