Editing Sinclair C5 (section)

===Sales history===
[[File:Sinclair C5 driver.jpg|right|thumb|Driving a Sinclair C5]]
Despite the problems of the press launch day, a more positive response was expected from the 20,000 members of the public who attended the remaining two days of the launch event to try out the C5 on the Alexandra Palace test track. Sinclair reported the day after the event that its switchboard had been overwhelmed by enquirers, and it expected that all 2,700 units from the first production run would be sold by the following Monday.<ref name="Times-12-Jan-85">{{cite news|title=Sinclair's pedal car sells out|last=Webb|first=Clifford|date=12 January 1985|work=The Times|page=3}}</ref> Setting a pattern that would be repeated throughout the C5's short commercial life, this prediction was wildly optimistic; fewer than 200 were sold during the Alexandra Palace event. However, sales picked up as mail order forms – which had been sent to all of Sinclair's computer customers – were returned with fresh orders.<ref>{{cite news|title=Orders for Sinclair C5 Vehicle Pass 1,000 Mark|last=Griffiths|first=John|work=The Financial Times|page=6|date=21 January 1985}}</ref> Within four weeks, 5,000 C5s had been sold.<ref name="Times-9-Feb-1985" />

The C5's users were an eclectic group. They included holiday camps who wanted C5s to rent to campers;<ref name="Times-12-Jan-85" /> the British Royal Family – Princes [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge|William]] and [[Prince Harry|Harry]] each had one to drive around [[Kensington Palace]] before they were old enough to drive;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/sinclair-c5-rolls-back-years-2426779|title=Sinclair C5 rolls back the years in Merthyr|newspaper=Wales Online|date=21 August 2004|access-date=18 November 2014}}</ref> Sir [[Elton John]], who had two;<ref name="Scotsman-10-Jan-2005">{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/miles-ahead-of-its-time-1-670788|title=Miles ahead of its time|work=The Scotsman|date=10 January 2005|access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> the magician [[Paul Daniels]], who bought a demonstration model he saw being driven around the BBC Television Centre car park;<ref>{{cite book|title=Paul Daniels: Under No Illusion – My Autobiography|last=Daniels|first=Paul|publisher=John Blake Publishing|year=2000|pages=264–5|isbn=978-1-85782-784-2}}</ref> Sir [[Arthur C. Clarke]], who had two shipped out to his home at [[Colombo]] in [[Sri Lanka]];<ref name="Times-7-Aug-1989">{{cite news|title=Sinclair's C5 comes of age as green car of the future|last=Eason|first=Kevin|work=The Times|date=7 August 1989|page=3}}</ref> and the Mayor of [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]], Michael Pitts, who swapped his official Daimler for a C5.<ref name="Burton105">Burton, p. 105</ref> However, as ''The Times'' reported, some of the early buyers were disappointed by the vehicle's limitations, citing its slowness, its limited range and its inability to cope with steep hills, which led some people to return their C5s and ask for a refund.<ref name="Times-9-Feb-1985" />

Although the C5 reached retail stores at the start of March 1985, sales had tailed off. Sinclair resorted to hiring teams of teenagers to drive around London in C5s to promote the vehicle, at a cost to the company of £20 a day. Similar teams were established in Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds. The company denied that it was a marketing campaign; a spokesman told ''The Times'' that "we haven't done&nbsp;... tests on inner city roads. That is what the team is doing. Marketing is not the prime function but will undoubtedly be a spin-off."<ref name="Times-28-3-1985">{{cite news|title=Teenagers show off Sinclair tricycle|last=Johnstone|first=Bill|date=28 March 1985|work=The Times|page=2}}</ref> Sinclair was reported to be surprised at the lack of demand and blamed the press for "a lack of foresight and pessimistic reporting".<ref name="Times-28-3-1985" /> Matters did not improve; three decades later, the C5's failure was attributed in ''[[Wallpaper (magazine)|Wallpaper]]'' to there being no market, insofar as "global warming hadn't been invented then".<ref name=Wallpaper09>{{cite journal |title=Who stopped the future? |last1=Randerson |first1=James |journal=Wallpaper |date=July 2008 |issue=112 |pages=104 |publisher=IPC Media |issn=1364-4475 |oclc=948263254 |quote='The big problem was that it had no market,' says Woordward. 'Globa warming hadn't been invented then'}}</ref> The retail chain Comet acquired 1,600 C5s but nine months later most were still unsold.<ref name="AK199">Adamson & Kennedy, p. 199</ref>

Adding to Sinclair's problems, production of the C5 had to be halted for three weeks after numerous customers reported that the plastic moulding attached to the gearbox was impairing the performance of their vehicles. 100 Hoover workers were shifted from the C5 production line to work on replacing the faulty mouldings on returned vehicles.<ref name="AK199" /> Barrie Wills admitted that Sinclair was also taking the opportunity to "adjust stocks" in the light of the C5's poor sales.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fault halts production of C5 tricycle|last=Webb|first=Clifford|date=30 March 1985|work=The Times|page=2}}</ref> When production resumed a month later it was at only 10% of the previous level, with 90 of the workers being transferred back to the washing machine production lines. Only 100 C5s were now being produced a week, down from the original 1,000. Over 3,000 unsold C5s were piled up in storage at the Hoover factory, with additional unsold stock in 500 retail outlets nationwide.<ref name="Times-23-Apr-1985">{{cite news|title=Production of C5 tricycle cut by 90%|last=Young|first=Robin|work=The Times|page=3|date=23 April 1985}}</ref>

Sinclair tried to put a brave face on it, admitting that "sales have not been entirely up to expectations" but claiming to be "confident of a high level of demand for the vehicle".<ref name="FT=23-Apr-1985">{{cite news|title=Sinclair Cuts Production of C5 by 90%|date=23 April 1985|work=The Financial Times|page=6}}</ref> A spokesman told the media that "we expect a rapid rise in sales now that the weather is improving".<ref name="Times-23-Apr-1985" /> Possible sales opportunities were explored in mainland Europe, Asia, and the United States, with Sinclair claiming that he had found "very big" levels of interest.<ref name="Times-13-Aug-1985">{{cite news|title=Debt halts production of C5|last=Johnston|first=Bill|date=13 August 1985|work=The Times|page=1}}</ref> Hoover were sufficiently persuaded to allow Sinclair to divert 10 of their employees to modify C5s for overseas export.<ref name="AK200" /> The bid to sell the C5 abroad failed; the Dutch National Transport Service told Sinclair that the C5 was not suitable for Dutch roads without improvements to its braking system, the addition of more reflectors, and the inclusion of the High-Vis Mast as part of the basic package. Most of the other ten countries that Sinclair inquired of demanded similar changes.<ref name="AK199" />

The C5's reputation received a further battering when major consumer organisations published sceptical evaluations. [[The Automobile Association]] questioned many of Sinclair's claims in a report published at the start of May. It found that the range of the vehicle was typically only about {{convert|10|miles}} rather than the {{convert|20|mi}} promised by Sinclair, and reported that the C5's battery ran flat after only {{convert|6.5|mi}} on a cold day. The C5's running speed was more usually around {{convert|12.5|mph}} than the claimed {{convert|15|mph}}, while its running costs compared unfavourably to that of a petrol-driven Honda PX50 moped. The stability, general roadworthiness, and especially the safety of the C5 were questioned, and the AA suggested that the High-Vis Mast should be included as part of the standard package.<ref name="AK196"/> It concluded:

{{blockquote|The C5 looks more comfortable and convenient than it really is – older cyclists looking for less pedal effort will be disappointed by the agility its layout demands. Although it is delightfully quiet, performance, range, and comfort do not compare with the better mopeds and costs are much closer than one might think when one allows for the inevitable battery replacement.<ref name="AK196">Adamson & Kennedy, p. 196</ref>}}

The Consumers' Association published a critical report on the C5 in the June issue of its magazine ''[[Which?]]'', concluding that the vehicle was of only limited use and represented poor value for money. All three of the C5s that it tested broke down with a "major gearbox fault" and their High-Vis Masts snapped. The longest run between battery charges was only {{convert|14.2|mi}}, and a more realistic achievable range was {{convert|5|-|10|miles|0}}. It also echoed the AA's concerns about the C5's safety and the omission of the High-Vis Mast from the standard package.<ref name="Times-6-Jun-1985">{{cite news|title=C5 is poor value for money, test concludes|last=Webb|first=Clifford|work=The Times|date=6 June 1985|page=3}}</ref> The magazine also called the C5 "too easy to steal",<ref name="AK197">Adamson & Kennedy, p. 197</ref> hardly surprising considering that while a security lock could be used to prevent it being driven away, the C5 was light enough that a would-be thief could simply pick it up and carry it off.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sinclair's electric dreams come true|page=5|last=Griffiths|first=John|work=The Financial Times|date=11 January 1985}}</ref>

As the summer of 1985 continued, sales of the C5 remained far below Sinclair's predictions; only 8,000 had been sold by July. In the middle of that month, the [[Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)|Advertising Standards Authority]] ordered Sinclair to amend or withdraw its advertisements for the C5 after finding that the company's claims about the safety and speed of the C5 either could not be proved or were not justified.<ref>{{cite news|title=C5 advert claims rejected|date=17 July 1985|work=The Times|page=3}}</ref> Retailers attempted to deal with unsold stocks of C5s by drastically cutting the vehicle's price. Comet first reduced the price to £259.90<ref>{{cite news|title=Poor sales see price drop for Sinclair's C5|date=17 July 1985|work=The Times|page=3}}</ref> but by the end of the year was selling C5s with a complete set of accessories for only £139.99, 65% less than the initial price.<ref name="AK200">Adamson & Kennedy, p. 200</ref>

Production was terminated in August 1985, by which time 14,000 C5s had been assembled.<ref name="SundayTimes-15-Dec-1985">{{cite news|title=C5 – an electric dream fades|last=Brooks|first=Richard|work=The Sunday Times|date=15 December 1985}}</ref> Cashflow problems caused by the paucity of sales caused relations to break down between Sinclair Vehicles and Hoover. In June 1985, Hoover obtained a writ against Sinclair for unpaid debts of over £1.5 million, relating to work carried out over the previous eight months.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sinclair faces £1.5m writ|last=Johnston|first=Bill|date=15 July 1985|work=The Times|page=3}}</ref> It did not actually serve the writ but entered negotiations with Sinclair. In mid-August, it publicly announced that it was ceasing production of the C5.<ref name="AK200" /> A Sinclair spokesman told the media that the halt in production was "due to a shortage of certain components which are unable to be re-ordered while a financial settlement is pending. Once this has been concluded production is envisaged to recommence."<ref name="Times-13-Aug-1985" />