Trying to find a dealer who sells the Vexel Quovis, the car you drive while sitting in a wheelchair - for a reader has led from Australia to Spain and now to the U.K.
One of the best inventions I've heard of, in accessible travel or elsewhere, is the car you drive while sitting in a wheelchair.
The only model I know of is the Vexel Quovis, designed and manufactured in Spain. I wrote about this car in Vexel Quovis - Wheelchair Car, after Dr. Scott Rains, who has written many accessible travel pieces here, piqued my interest.
According to the Vexel Quovis manufacturer's website, this little gem is available from dealers in nine countries, in addition to Spain. The international distributors are located:
- 1 in USA
- 1 in Bermuda
- 1 in Portugal
- 1 in UK
- 1 in Switzerland
- 1 in Finland
- 1 in Germany
- 1 in Italy
- 1 in Australia.
A reader from Australi is very eager to find out whether he can get a Vexel Quovis.
The distributor for Australia replied promptly to my email of inquiry, but the answer was not what the reader and I were hoping for. All they said was: "SORRY WE DON'T HAVE THE VEXEL PRODUCT". (It was in all caps). I wish they had been more explicit. Will they ever have it? Do they still carry them? Are they still a distributor? These are questions I did not ask in Australia, but instead turned my attention to Spain. I did appreciate the fast response from Australia but the brevity implied they weren't really interested in pursuing the matter.
So, I wrote to the manufacturer, but unfortunately as I don't speak Spanish, I had to write in English. I do feel bad about this; I feel it is a courtesy to speak the local language, but I figured any attempt was better than none. And, the Vexel company does have an English version of its website, so I thought maybe they would overcome the language difference for me at their end.
So far, no news. It's been a week and I am losing hope of getting a reply.
Today I wrote to a dealer - not listed on the Vexel website, but easy to find with an internet search - in England. They have two units for sale on their webpage, prices and all.
The two Vexel Quovis vehicles for sale (at the time of writing) at Jubilee Automotive Groupare:
- 2003 model for 5,995 Pounds
- 2006 model for 12,995 Pounds.
I hope the good people at Jubilee will help us crack the Vexel Quovis nut.
More anon, as they say.
