No this is not a headline from The Onion
Chicago-based Radio Flyer, the iconic wagon-making company and 3rd generation family business, announced a partnership with Tesla, maker of sustainable vehicles and rocket ships. Together, the companies released the Cyberquad for Kids. It’s a high-performance electric ATV that offers fast speed (10 MPH), better handling and a longer run time for kids 8 years and older. Plus, it’s gentle on the environment.
The two heavyweights have worked together since 2013 on a variety of product launches for kids, usually involving wagons, vehicles, trucks and now quads.
“The whole thing started after our research showed that kids love their electric cars and trucks and vehicles, but the batteries didn’t stay charged for long. It was a recurring theme. Our Chief Innovation Officer said, ‘Hey, we can solve this with lithium-ion batteries. Let’s build Teslas for kids,’” Radio Flyer CEO Robert Pasin explains. “And so we reached out to the Tesla design team and they have been incredible to work with ever since.”
The way Pasin tells it, Tesla was doing everything different from car companies and the Radio Flyer team needed to follow that model. “Every detail in our vehicles is identical to a Tesla. We sell direct-to-consumers. You can pick your own colors. Parents can even get a personalized license plate for their kids,” Pasin explains.
Radio Flyer’s relationship with the Tesla design team is pretty much flawless and, according to Pasin, that’s because the process is fun. “We get along with them. We bounce ideas off of each other. And the most important thing is that we always lead with design and so do they. We both want to create something amazing that leads to that point of delight.”
Family Business reached out to Elon Musk for comment, but, well, I mean... we tried.