NOT a gs500

[twocool]

http://www.eliomotors.com/

My next "car"??

Cookie

[Big Rich]

That thing is pretty cool. And for $6800? Even better.

[The Buddha]

Oh yea makes me want to find a few of those Mr. Bean episodes and watch where he tangles with that 3 wheeled beauty ...
Cool.
Buddha.

[joweaver88]

yea I have been following Elio for a couple years now... they are supposed to hit production mid next year. The final production engine is supposed to have about twice the torque that the demo units have. They also are going to have all sorts of DIY mods available for it from the factory like a sunroof panel or glass ceiling, upgraded speaker kits (although Im sure you could easily rig up your own), upgraded suspension bits, sat nav, the works... seems like the 5 speed manual version would actually be really really fun. I would totally buy one.

[The_Paragon]

MMMM... neat, yes. But I'm not on board.

Still just a 1 seater vehicle, which means I'll still need to own a real car.. which means this will also be a secondary vehicle for me, which puts it in the "Toy" catagory..

And that thing is just not cool enough to be a "Toy"

[BockinBboy]

MMMM... neat, yes. But I'm not on board.

Still just a 1 seater vehicle, which means I'll still need to own a real car.. which means this will also be a secondary vehicle for me, which puts it in the "Toy" catagory..

And that thing is just not cool enough to be a "Toy"

I do agree. However, the price point brings an intriguing perspective - I imagine a lot of potential for a fabricator.  The price leaves a lot of room for anything beyond its stock form.

- Bboy

[twocool]

Well it is a 2-seater....

They say in their promotional stuff that it is intended to be a second car.  Most families today have more than one car...but you don't need 2 giant suv's.  I can still remember as a kid, when my family actually purchased a "second" car....It was a big deal back then...but only a short time later, my Dad had two cars, mom had one, big sis had one, and I typically had two or three....

Look at all the 6000lb SUV's you see driving around with just a 110 lb lady as the only human on board.

The Elio is perfect for me, if it comes out as promoted.....But it is not a car for everybody, just like motorcycles are not for everybody...just look at how many different types of cars are already available.....never one size fits all........

I don't see the Elio like a toy, like the Can Spyder, etc.  I would use the Elio for my main transportation...about 500 miles per week....

Financially, it really makes sense....

I give it a 50/ 50 shot to actually come to market, and meet the design goals...we'll see...

And the Germans already did this in 1950's with Messerschmidt.

"cool" is in the eye of the beholder..

Cookie

MMMM... neat, yes. But I'm not on board.

Still just a 1 seater vehicle, which means I'll still need to own a real car.. which means this will also be a secondary vehicle for me, which puts it in the "Toy" category..

And that thing is just not cool enough to be a "Toy"

[joweaver88]

MMMM... neat, yes. But I'm not on board.

Still just a 1 seater vehicle, which means I'll still need to own a real car.. which means this will also be a secondary vehicle for me, which puts it in the "Toy" catagory..

And that thing is just not cool enough to be a "Toy"

It is not a 1 seater it is a tandem two seater. It was always designed with the ability to carry two full size adults.

[joweaver88]

I give it a 50/ 50 shot to actually come to market, and meet the design goals...we'll see...

Id give it more like a 99/100 shot to actually come to market since they already have a factory and the production model is basically done and all the suppliers are on board and have been for a long time. Not to mention all the investment money. They also already have a deal with pepboys which will be their official service centers across the USA. So yea it is almost assuredly coming to market... now whether it will still be $6,800 when it comes to market is still yet to be seen.

[The_Paragon]

MMMM... neat, yes. But I'm not on board.

Still just a 1 seater vehicle, which means I'll still need to own a real car.. which means this will also be a secondary vehicle for me, which puts it in the "Toy" catagory..

And that thing is just not cool enough to be a "Toy"

It is not a 1 seater it is a tandem two seater. It was always designed with the ability to carry two full size adults.

My bad.. I only scanned over the website.

I do suppose it has its merits for certain people.
And comparing the price point with other 3 wheels like the Can-am, Polaris slingshot, Its cheap!

[cWj]

Yup. Tandem  . The front seat has the ol' coupe slide-n-fold single lever.

I'm still watching and waiting on the development on the project in my home state. I wish the marketing arm was down there so I could have gotten involved in the traveling marketing team! I, unfortunately, have no engineering or production skills to contribute.

Shreveport, LA where the assembly plant is set to operate, used to have AT&T and GM truck plants. There will supposedly be an effort to target former GM employees for the production line. I don't know if there are still many people from the AT&T plant around that would be interested to work, but it would be good if a few of them could get on for any electronic assembly.

Right now all the only industry that has multiple outlets is casino/gambling.

[ShowBizWolf]

That looks pretty nifty... it is certainly a vehicle that if I saw it in a parking lot somewhere I would want to take a closer look   And I am ALL for something that saves $$

[twocool]

Yes, I didn't mean "simply come to market"..pretty sure that will happen...I meant come to market with all the claims met ...like target price, and target MPG....


Then we have to see if they can STAY in business....

Lots of seemingly cool cars have come and gone quickly..

But it looks like about 30,000 people were convinced enough to put down a deposit...maybe same number who are just "wait and see" ..like me....

But is 30,000 to 60,000 units enough to build a sustainable business??  But then again, for example,  the Model T Ford, or the VW Beetle...simple, relatively cheap...both sold in the multi-millions!!

I give it a 50/ 50 shot to actually come to market, and meet the design goals...we'll see...

Id give it more like a 99/100 shot to actually come to market since they already have a factory and the production model is basically done and all the suppliers are on board and have been for a long time. Not to mention all the investment money. They also already have a deal with pepboys which will be their official service centers across the USA. So yea it is almost assuredly coming to market... now whether it will still be $6,800 when it comes to market is still yet to be seen.

[joweaver88]

yea those are site unseen pre-orders for an entirely new company... when you look at it in that light the 30k reservations is super impressive. Wait until people can go see them on the lot and test drive them. If they can hit their tech and cost targets I think these guys will sell the SH*T out of these things.

[BockinBboy]

I think a big roadblock may be that it is considered a motorcycle by federal definition. Which means that many states would require some type of motorcycle endorsement to drive it, and those states with more restrictions such as 'helmet laws' would even require you to wear a helmet inside it to drive it... Am I missing something? Their site depicts it as an option for businesses to use for employee cars, and rental fleets... I really don't think that's much of a possibility if there are license and equipment restrictions.

- Bboy

[twocool]

Motorcycle helmet laws are changing........

Elio seems to be able to get "exemptions" from most state helmet laws.

At the moment, only 5 states would require helmets to be worn when driving an Elio!!  (seven additional states would require helmets for "young" drivers........

For instances, my state, New Jersey, requires motorcycle helmets in all cases, EXCEPT Elio has waiver!

I guess the rational is the fully enclosed cockpit, with integral roll cage, along with three airbags, offering far more protection than a simple helmet.

Cookie

I think a big roadblock may be that it is considered a motorcycle by federal definition. Which means that many states would require some type of motorcycle endorsement to drive it, and those states with more restrictions such as 'helmet laws' would even require you to wear a helmet inside it to drive it... Am I missing something? Their site depicts it as an option for businesses to use for employee cars, and rental fleets... I really don't think that's much of a possibility if there are license and equipment restrictions.

- Bboy

[BockinBboy]

Aha, so I was missing something!

This is certainly interesting enough to follow, thanks for posting it.



- Bboy