The brand unveils its unique approach to dealers by proving the company is more than just another golf car manufacturer.
What is Atlas? Is it just another golf car manufacturer to evaluate? This is the quandary every dealer must face as the micro mobility world evolves. These decisions, right or wrong, will make or break a company. An unprecedented number of golf car and LSV manufacturers have entered the market in the past 12 months and are promoting their products aggressively (assuming buyers will want to pay $10K+ to own one) with features like lithium batteries, glamorous looks and killer wheels. The days of a few major players in the recreational vehicle marketplace are gone and customers have an abundance of choice.
So what is the dealer to do? There are many important factors to consider like: looks, performance, creature comforts, cost to dealer, standard accessories, warranty, batteries, battery range, factory support – the list goes on and on.
Dealers have many variables to evaluate to drive their purchase decision, so we asked the Atlas founding team:
GCN: What’s the story behind Atlas?
Atlas: Atlas really began back in 2007 when Mark Messick, Sanjay Kopay and Aaron Gouldie met. Sanjay and Mark were both working for E-Z-GO along with Atlas VP of Sales Jake Guinn. During their time together at E-Z-GO, Mark, Sanjya and Jake improved the service parts business (increased fillrate to 92%, instituted same day shipping and created dealer self-service tools), and built an accessories business to help dealers personalize products to meet consumer tastes. Aaron was a major E-Z-GO customer, and the founder of two major online retail brands Golf Cart King and DIY Golf Cart.
Fast forward to 2015, Sanjay and Mark worked at Club Car and led the development and launch of the Onward PTV. Onward was Club Car’s first consumer focused product and quickly rose to prominence with its automotive design, comfort and broad range of accessories. Aaron, on the other hand, had started a new accessories brand called MODZ in addition to expanding his ecommerce business.
A few years later Mark, Aaron and Sanjay partnered to launch Atlas focusing on styling, comfort and providing strong value proposition for both dealers and consumers alike.
GCN: What are Atlas’ short-term goals?
Atlas: We want to establish Atlas as a quality product and provide dealers with a compelling value proposition. To better control quality, Atlas transitioned to a new location with all operations under one roof. We want to build a brand that takes care of dealers, which is why we pay shop labor rate for warranty repairs, deliver cars fully assembled and have a five-year free replacement of the lithium battery pack (no pro-rating) and the two-year limited warranty for the vehicle which we make readily available.
GCN: What about long-term goals?
Atlas: For the next 24 months, we plan to significantly expand the product line up including accessories, offer dealer self-service tools (parts lookup and ordering, warranty claims processing, vehicle ordering), and will be launching an online vehicle configurator.
GCN: A lot of new brands have entered the market in the last few years. What makes Atlas stand out amongst the crowd?
Atlas: Atlas offers standard creature comforts like locking front trunk for extra storage, a wireless cell phone charger in the dash with an extra dual USB port, Bluetooth sound system with hands-free calling, LED headlights, rear and side view mirrors, an automatic electronic hill brake coupled with 4-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, an independent front suspension with McPherson style coil-over shocks and lower ball joint, a swing arm rear suspension with coil-over shocks to increase stability while cornering.
The real nuts and bolts of Atlas is the drive train: 5kW (6.7hp) Nidec 3-phase AC induction motor powered by a 400 amp controller. The proprietary 48-volt lithium iron phosphate battery provides 210 amp hours that exceeds most customers’ range expectations. And an on-board charger that can be powered anywhere there is 110V outlet.
GCN: It’s been great learning about what Atlas has to offer. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Atlas: Atlas is not like the other newly introduced brands that have entered the market recently. The team comes with industry experience and a proven track record of innovation. Combined, we bring 130 years of experience working for major OEMs, founding multiple aftermarket accessory businesses, owning independent golf car dealerships or working as service technicians. We realize the industry will evolve and we plan to evolve with the industry. Atlas is here to stay and we want to invite you along for the ride. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your interest in becoming an Atlas dealer. Please send us a note at atlascarts.com/dealers.
