It's a three wheeled, tandem two seater with claimed 49mpg city and 84mpg highway. Delivery is projected for July 2014. Ultra High Mileage Car : Elio Motors
I just caught a news piece about this [insert air quotes] "car". If it lives up to its hype.....and it might be well on its way to doing just that!....it's going to be fun to watch!!! Technically for now, it's a motorcycle, According to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) “Motorcycle” means a motor vehicle with motive power having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground.” So if it is less than four wheels it is a motorcycle. This all means a few kinda interesting things, since we live in a "Nanny State": 1. You have to wear a helmet in most states while riding a motorcycle. 2. You get to be an HOV scofflaw...for about $20,000 cheaper than the Pip HOV scofflaws. 3. In most (read: all) places....you have to get a M/C endorsement to "ride." 4. Technically…you do not have to meet crash worthiness guidelines and a lot of safety equipment is not required for motorcycles. Now....once the bunny huggers get a hold of this issue.....I expect that it will take on a political dimension and this vehicle will immediately be labeled as an "autocycle" or there will be an amendment to the FMVSS that states that since this puppy is obviously more car than cycle, then there will be a dispensation for the M/C classification. Since MONEY is always a more efficient incentive for legislative gymnastics than people fussing, whining, and cussing.....there is already work in progress in Louisiana for this vehicle to be classified as a "non-motorcycle." Why Louisiana? Easy. Theylre building it in a......(wait for it! ) former HUMMER plant. Gotta love the irony!!! The developers state that since they intend to market this thing as a car, then it will meet all of the current safety requirements (crash testing, etc...) for a CAR. This will be interesting since it's estimated that the dry curb weight will be less than 1,000 pounds. To put that in perspective...IIRC a Honda Goldwing or equivalent weighs around 920 lbs depending on equipment. < $7,000 ? > Prius MPG? < Prius stodginess? > Prius performance? Color me interested.....
This "car" might actually be built. If it is, it will certainly cost more than $6800. If it's under $10K, I might buy one but I will wait until a few thousand have been produced and sold.
Interesting that they are using a collection of tier 1 automotive suppliers: suppliers - Elio Motors : Elio Motors. While it's sensationally satisfying to label Shreveport as a Hummer factory, it was mostly a Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon assembly plant. Effectively the Hummer 3 was a variant of that platform. A guy at work has a deposit in to be amongst the initial purchasers. I agree that the quoted retail price is genuinely baffling.
I really like the look and layout of this vehicle, and this is coming from someone that thinks the Smart car from Daimler (the other 2-seater car) is about the ugliest car ever. Dare I say it I prefer its look to a Prius. I think if it is quiet, refined, comfortable, and has good handling, that eventually the masses (and motor journalists) will get over their "how a car should look" mindset. The ultimate would be an Elio 133 hp Prius drivetrain (instead of it's 60 hp engine) and you would end up with one fast, efficient, smooth, and fun vehicle. It would be a shame if some "know it all" automotive experts/executives dismiss the idea. I just read yesterday that the Rubik's Cube, which was dismissed by 40 toy companies, became the most successful toy history. So much for toy executives knowing their trade. This vehicle could fail not based on the product itself, but based on unbridled criticism from "status quoists". Last I heard 15,000 pre-orders are in so it may have a fighting chance. Let's hope it is a pleasant vehicle to drive. A lot of people also dismissed Tesla. I'm looking forward to a review from an open minded reviewer. It may be the Gen II of this vehicle that will be the one to watch for if there are some shortcomings with Gen I, I think I know another successful vehicle that went through this
One year later. Still interested....but I'm not one of the 15,000 people who have put a deposit down. If this vehicle makes it to a showroom I might take one for a test drive since I already have a M/C endorsement. We'll see if the price holds... Good Luck Elio!
People will have to forgo crash test ratings. I don't see this happening. You might as well bring in Tatas from India at that point.
The most recent news besides getting 15,000+ people to sign up and deposit is that they signed Pep Boys as their official service provider. I'm not a fan of Pep Boys, but I can see the advantage to Elio of signing them instead of having to build all their stores with service centers. Elio Motors Inc. Names Pep Boys as Official Service Provider for Enclosed Three-Wheeled Vehicle Set to Launch in 2015 - MarketWatch The release is pushed back to 2015 based on the headline. When checking out the Elio site, it sounds like they want to set up their own stores like Tesla.
Except, I don't think Tata Nanos will be drivable with just three wheels. Many will skip on an Elio because of the safety concern, but I don't think the company has to sell many per year in order to be successful. While a hybrid or electric version would be sweet, just sticking with some tried and true technology reduces the point at which company goes from red to black. Motorcycles still sell. The Elio is a motorcycle made practicable for an everyday commute. It is just cheaper, and gets better fuel economy without bugs in the teeth.
