Tag Archives: VPG Sales

Veterans Star Spangled Salute – Wheelchair Van Giveaway

Veteran Wheelchair Van Boston MA

Contact us for more info on your chance to win a 2013 Toyota Sienna SE, with a VMI Northstar Conversion. The Star Spangled Salute campaign is valid from March 13, 2013 to November 10, 2013 for all Disabled US Veterans.

***Limit one entry per household!***

Toyota Sienna VMI Northstar at Automotive Innovations www.bridgewatermobility.comWin A 2013 Toyota Sienna SE

In Phoenix, AZ a 2013 Toyota Sienna SE minivan, that is wheelchair accessible, is up for grabs in a new contest sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and Vantage Mobility International.

The contest, The Star Spangled Salute, runs from March 13th 2013 through November 10th 2013 and is open to all disabled veterans.

The winner will be picked in a random drawing on Veteran’s Day.

The Toyota Sienna SE Wheelchair accessible minivan features VMI’s Access360 In-floor Ramp Conversion.

Toyota Wheelchair Van MA

“Access to reliable transportation is critical for wounded warriors who are reclaiming their independence,” said former Air Force Lieutenant General John F. Regni, who is a member of the VMI board of advisers. “A VMI-converted Toyota Sienna will give them the mobility to secure a job, take care of their family and travel to the doctor.”

Terms and conditions: Star Spangled Salute campaign is valid from March 13, 2013 to November 10, 2013 for all Disabled US Veterans.  The winner will be randomly drawn on November 11, 2013 and must show proof of military service.  The winner will receive a 2013 Toyota Sienna SE with the VMI Northstar Conversion; no exceptions will be made.  No purchase necessary. Valid within the United States only.  Limit one entry per household.  Entries may be made HERE or by calling 800-488-6148. If the chosen winner has already purchased their VMI Toyota Sienna Northstar conversion between 3/13/13 and 11/10/2013, they can elect to be reimbursed their out of pocket cost of the wheelchair accessible VMI Toyota Sienna Northstar van on or by December 31, 2013. Reimbursement will be coordinated between VMI and the winner directly if the vehicle was purchased prior to the winner being announced.  Campaign is not valid on any added accessories. Customer is responsible for the payment of applicable taxes and registration fees.  Prize must be claimed by December 31, 2013 and is non-transferable.  No exceptions will be made.

MV1 VPG Mobility Vehicle Issues. What happened and what now?

MV1 VPG Mobility Vehicle

How can we help service your VPG mobility vehicle or help you purchase another more new or pre-owned reliable mobility vehicle?

A Michigan maker of vans for the disabled that received a $50 million Energy Department loan has quietly ceased operation and laid off its staff.

Vehicle Production Group, or VPG, stopped operations after finances dipped below the minimum required as a condition of the government loan, says former CEO John Walsh. Though about 100 staff were laid off and its offices shuttered, the company has not filed for bankruptcy reorganization.

NEED YOUR VPG SERVICED? CLICK HERE

VPG, of Allen Park, Mich., received its Energy Department loan under the same clean-energy program — now under fire by House Republicans — that originally committed $527 million to troubled plug-in hybrid carmaker Fisker Automotive and $535 million to solar start-up Solyndra, which has filed for bankruptcy reorganization. VPG was deemed eligible for the clean energy loan because some of its vans were to be fitted to run on compressed natural gas.

Walsh, who left VPG with the rest of the staff when it closed in February, says the company had raised $400 million in private capital from investors, including financier T. Boone Pickens, and built 2,500 MV-1 vans. Though VPG still had a healthy order backlog, it ran low on cash and didn’t have the dealer network that it needed, Walsh says.

In 2011, the company’s then CEO, Dave Schembri, said he hoped that it could eventually ramp up production to about 30,000 vans a year, not only for individual sales to the disabled, but for sales to taxi and limousine fleets needing handicap-accessible vehicles. The company showed a taxi version at the 2012 New York Auto Show.

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VPG stopped operations after its assets were frozen by the Energy Department, he says. “They wanted us to get the remaining capital raised, and we couldn’t get it done,” he says. The company did not announce the suspension of operations. An Energy Department spokesman could not be reached for comment, although the agency has stepped in before when borrowers fell short of loan conditions: Fisker was cut off after drawing $190 million of its loan package.

VPG Chairman Fred Drasner could not be reached for comment.

VPG’s DOE loan was controversial. In 2011, The Washington Post raised questions about a fundraiser for President Obama and the loan. It reported that VPG was part of the portfolio of companies under Washington, D.C.-based investment firm Perseus, whose vice chairman, James Johnson, was an Obama adviser and fundraiser. Perseus said at the time that Johnson played no role in procuring the loan for VPG. The Energy Department said at the time that the loan was based entirely on merit after two years of review.

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VPG’s MV-1 purpose-built vans, which went on sale in 2011 at a starting price of $39,950, were built under contract by AM General, maker of the Army’s Humvee transports. AM General spokesman Jeff Adams declined comment on VPG’s shutdown, saying his company was only the contract builder. But he said it will supply already-sold MV-1s with parts and technical support.

Walsh says production of MV-1s was stopped about six months ago to prepare for a new model. He says VPG had about 2,300 vehicles on order at the time including a half-filled, 250-van order from New York’s City’s transit authority.

The federal loan money was spent wisely, Walsh says, and he expresses hope that it all will be repaid if the company is sold.

Walsh was CEO for about a year. “I hung in there as long as I could,” says Walsh, who is now an executive at another disabled mobility company. “I saw the handwriting on the wall months ago. We just couldn’t get the capital to keep it going.”

NEED YOUR VPG SERVICED? CLICK HERE