Three Wheels...

[MJH]

It is not as if it is a new idea, cheap transportation.
Story of the Messerschmitt…
Today there is the Elio, Wikipedia even makes reference to the Messerschmitt.

Some things to take note of: these are considered motorcycles in the USA. They do not need to meet the national standards of cars, though Elio claims they will anyway. In most states they would be registered as a motorcycle and require in some for drivers/riders to wear a helmet. Also to have a MC endorsement on their drivers licence. In consideration to that, I image trying to maneuver what is a car in realty on the test course for a motorcycle, you could opt to take it on a scooter/motorcycle instead, but either way you need a motorcycle licence. So these people are actually working with states to get these exempted to some laws, why not.



The Elio is special in that its getting allot of attention, currently they are conducting crowd funding, they take deposits on orders, then use the funds to bring it to production. They have 53,201 orders to date! They have acquired space in a GM plant that was closed in Louisiana.

The prototypes are using an in-line 3 cylinder from a GM GEO, I believe that may be a Suzuki engine? I believe the production version will have its own power plant, they claim a new engine?

They have been letting bloggers test ride the Elio, the reviews then get posted on YOU TUBE.

[goo]

cheap copy of morgan three wheeler , pass

[Krasi]

You've seen Top Gear reviews of the Peel P50 and Raliant Robin, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJfSS0ZXYdo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8

What's special about the Elio, apart from being slightly more "luxurious" than these two?

If you want a 2-seater "car", that's eco, green, cheap to run, then Renault offer their Twizy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Twizy

Yes. the Twizy is about twice the money of Elio, but, hey, that's nothing when it comes to "saving the environment", right?

[goo]

no special about the elio at all. for little more u buy Nissan micra , much better value.
I rather have the three wheeler klr from the china than elioooooo. much more nice and fun.

[MJH]

They sold over 60,000 units, they are way behind schedule for fulfilling those orders. People will not get their trikes until 2017.
What is interesting is the crowd funding method the company is using and that the vehicle is unconventional, it is not a car, so it sidesteps federal regulations for autos.
It’s a trike and its priced under $8,000.00, it has an enclosed cab so it can be ridden in any weather.
I used the word “special” as an adjective, “otherwise different from what is usual”

[goo]

three wheeler idea so old , since dinosaur. many already try, don't try so hard elio no special. 8000 dollar go buy Nissan micra better in every way .
or buy the fun three wheeler for the china , buy three of them three times than fun ok

[MJH]

three wheeler idea so old , since dinosaur. many already try, don't try so hard elio no special. 8000 dollar go buy Nissan micra better in every way .
or buy the fun three wheeler for the china , buy three of them three times than fun ok

The Micra is not offered in the USA, it was offered in Canada from 2014-2015 and they sold about 12,000 of them.


Some are wondering if the Elio will ever actually be manufactured? Crowd funding is a method of raising capital direct from consumers. Most of the orders for the Elio were at $6,500.00, just recently the price went to $7,300.00. How that works is that reservations are taken at $1,000.00 each, that represents $60M raised. Elio secured the rights to a GM plant in Shreveport Louisiana, that facility manufactured the once S-10 pick-up as well as some others including some Isuzu models, it closed in 2012.
The real test of the Elio will be that of consumer satisfaction, right now it is its novelty that is driving the orders.
Evidently the production was pushed back, a new 900cc 3 cylinder engine was developed specifically for it. Another driving force to the sales is that it is made in America.
Low cost always gets attention, being close to half the price of the lowest cost new cars offered in the USA. Even though it is not a car it is actually a trike, a reverse trike.

What is the most unusual thing relating to the Elio is the funding, if the manufacturer fails before orders are fulfilled the buyers lose their deposits.

Since the vehicle is a trike, the federal government does not even recognize its category, it is categorized as a motorcycle and in that sidesteps the auto regulations, it only has an obligation to meet the much less strict regulations on motorcycles. Each of the fifty individual States have their own regulation for registration and use.

The Elio has a top speed of 100mph and gets to 60mph in 9.6 seconds, you can invest in Elio it is a publicly traded company. Elio Motors Inc (ELIO)

[goo]

hehe ok, no micra in usa. but they will sell less than 12000 elio that is sure.
it is very very ugly design . more ugly than wet smelly dog

[MJH]

The wet dog analogy makes no sense.
Elio forecasts that it must inevitably sell at 5000 units a month for it to be a profitable operation, at least that is claimed in one media article. That seems crazy optimistic, crazy in that selling that many seems unsustainable year after year, even if they have sold over 60,000 thus far, selling that many every year would require every possible potential customer to be aware of the vehicle as an option and it is so unconventional not everyone in the market even if they have heard of it will buy one. They claim they are after the used car market that is priced at around $8,000.00 and that used car fleet has an average MPG of 17, the Elio is targeting around 60mpg in the combined city highway loop. The cost recovery claim is in the Elio as will be cheaper to operate, the savings in fuel would be its biggest selling incentive also that all its parts are off the shelve and already available.
If the Elio ever gets such exposure to garner 60,000 unit sales per year it will also get allot of consideration for safety, it cannot do very well in a crash test.
Just to get a perspective 60,000 units a year would make it highly visible, you would see them on the road everywhere and often. They want it to be a top selling vehicle, I believe many people will shy away because in a crash it would not do very well.

[goo]

if Donald the trump piss off the china, 1.4 billion people boycott usa no buy anything. everyone become poor maybe they sell many elio because no one have money in pocket. hehehe