They had hoped to catch a few pairs of eyes and raise a couple of eyebrows when they showcased their prize possession last weekend.
But the reaction at the EPIC Expo to Von Mynheers funky futuristic all-electric dune buggy has been so overwhelming, the company has decided to move its entire operation from the Interior to Richmond.
Since the inventors of the Chico, as its called, unveiled their prototype at the show, calls and e-mails have been flooding into their Richmond marketing office, demanding to know more about the car of the future that cuts a retro flair.
And on Thursday, Von Mynheers marketing director, Mark Mansfield, was hoping to seal the deal on securing a facility in the Bridgeport and Shell roads area to house their new manufacturing operations, which will ship lock, stock and barrel from its Kelowna roots.
We received worldwide exposure from the show; it reached China, Poland and Russia, said Mansfield.
There was amazing interest after the show and one of the articles went viral.
So much has happened since the show that we simply had to move everything here to Richmond, as weve had an incredible response around the Lower Mainland.
Mansfield said Von Mynheer owned by two brothers will move its manufacturing operations and research and development office to Richmond as soon as possible, perhaps within a few weeks.
He has fielded up to 40 enquiries in the last five days alone from around B.C. and the globe and closed the deal on a 20-strong order for the 50-kilometre top speed Bikinee, which is the base model of the Chico named after Californias most environmentally friendly city.
A marketing company Downtown wants the Bikinee to get around Vancouver, said Mansfield.
We will actually be fitting each of their cars with a small wind turbine, which will help power the battery.
Such was the impact of the car at last weekends show, the company has received an invitation to attend the EPIC Dubai Expo in February 2013, where Von Mynheer will release its fastest model, called the "Blast," estimated to do in access of 150 kph.
And Von Mynheer is also working with a top university with a view to helping them replace their 100-strong gas-powered fleet with the yet-to-be built all-electric futuristic one-ton van.
As well as benefiting from the creation of new jobs in the city, Von Mynheer has also selected Richmond-based Blitzgear Inc to do all of its marketing and advertising worldwide, along with its new website.
As well as Asia, Europe and the Middle East, theres fierce interest from California and across the U.S. for the Chico - which starts at $24,999 for the base model - and their prototype van version.
The News reported last week how the Chico design has been hired by a major video game company, which wants 16 full race versions of the electric car for a racing video game to be shot this summer in 60 countries around the world.
The good thing about the Chico, Mansfield said, is that it doesnt need a huge manufacturing space to be produced.
Because of the design, theres no welding or anything, its call put together in a much smaller space, he said.
We will start a small facility for the Bikinee, eventually expanding to a larger facility to produce both the car and the commercial van.
We are looking to work with schools, colleges and universities, offering automotive programs to expose young minds to the opportunities that will exist as we expand and grow creating employment opportunities worldwide.
For the meantime, the star of the show, the prototype Chico, remains locked away in a secret Richmond location.
