V-Vehicle Company, a startup automaker announced it will move into a former General Motors plant in Monroe Lousiana to build environmentally friendly vehicles, state and company officials announced today.

The San Diego-based firm founded in 2006 by Frank Varasano, a former executive at Oracle Corp., will employ about 1,400 people once production of the car starts, the company said.

We've designed and engineered this car from start to finish to give the U.S. consumer a quality car with great value made right here in America, Varasano said Wednesday in a statement posted on the Lousiana Economic Development website.

The car will be designed by Tom Matano, the designer of the Mazda Miata.

Production of the vehicle will begin in about 18 months, according to V-Vehicle Vice President, Horst Metz, the Associated Press noted.

Investors in the company's project include venture capital fund Kleiner, Perkins Caufield & Byers and energy investor T. Boone Pickens.

Watch the video below where Indiana Gov. Bobby Jindal introduces V-Vehicle's project.