If it does roll across the production line they should consider putting more HP in the motor.
If it does roll across the production line they should consider putting more HP in the motor.
It'd be cool if they made an aftermarket kit to convert the thing to 4 wheels. At $6800 its an attractive option, but trikes ,even high performance ones like the Campagna don't really interest me.
Interesting financing plan.
I'd drive the crap outta that on my 10 mile, in town commute. I think the ac vents are straight outta an F150, like stolen, not copied. Not sure how happy ford will be with that. And the walmart aluminum wheels are a bad idea. But overall it would make a ton of sense for my daily drive.
I'm skeptical about a 5 star crash rating in something that tiny though.
PHeller - they have those kits at HF:
ultraclyde wrote: I think the ac vents are straight outta an F150, like stolen, not copied. Not sure how happy ford will be with that.
Ford probably doesn't make those vents. More than likely, they are made by a supplier. Unless Ford has some special exclusive, that supplier is free to sell to anyone they want.
The other possibility is that Elio buys those vents from Ford.
Take a look at motorhomes. They often use lights from production vehicles, including Ford. This sort of thing is done all the time.
I just noticed...it's front wheel drive. That sounds positively dreadful.
In reply to PHeller:
I think what we have here is pretty much a 3-wheeled Geo Metro XFI. (In fact, I believe the prototype uses a Suzuki [nee: Geo] powertrain.) For the intended tasks, the GEO was a perfectly fine car. There's really nothing dreadful about FWD in a commuter car.
There was a long thread about the Elio on here a while back, early summer I think, debating whether the business model could hold up. Ever since then, I've been watching to see what happens. This one definitely has my interest. I haven't put down any money for a deposit to "get in line", but for what I want/need, this thing may well fit the bill.
PHeller wrote: I just noticed...it's front wheel drive. That sounds positively dreadful.
Why? It's being marketed as a commuter car. FWD is better for packaging and would be easier to integrate required things like a/c.
The single door is a bit bothersome. Not sure I'd like that.
Thing is though, why not just buy a Geo Metro and save yourself a few grand?
IF it really scores that well on crash ratings then it's safer than the geo. that's a big IF.
PHeller wrote: Thing is though, why not just buy a Geo Metro and save yourself a few grand?
There's some merit to that, but you could say the same thing about any new economy car. That's just the classic debate of buying an old beater vs. buying a new car. Is it worth the extra $$ to have a car that's not worn out, rusty, whooped, old technology, etc...? If the Elio can come in at the price point they're advertising, it's damn tempting. My major hesitation to jumping in with both feet is the company is a start up. Reliability, support, crash test rating, and some other things are still unknowns.
PHeller wrote: Thing is though, why not just buy a Geo Metro and save yourself a few grand?
Because the last Geo Metro was built... when?
We in the GRM crowd are not "average car buyers"... I work with those... while a couple of guys drive cars older than my '03 TDI, there aren't many. I often get comments: "Damn dude... when are you going to buy a new car?"
Didn't we have a bad time with the LAST 3 wheeler that got brought here?
EvanR wrote:ultraclyde wrote: I think the ac vents are straight outta an F150, like stolen, not copied. Not sure how happy ford will be with that.Ford probably doesn't make those vents. More than likely, they are made by a supplier. Unless Ford has some special exclusive, that supplier is free to sell to anyone they want. The other possibility is that Elio buys those vents from Ford. Take a look at motorhomes. They often use lights from production vehicles, including Ford. This sort of thing is done all the time.
The are purchased from Ford or Ford's supplier with Ford's permission. This happens often in low-production vehicles. See: Local Motors Rally Fighter, Edison 2, Lamborghini Diablo, etc.
I've never heard of a Tier 1 supplier NOT having an exclusive contract... they are never free to sell the same part to another manufacturer.
In reply to ProDarwin:
see also: Motorhomes
Klayfish wrote: There was a long thread about the Elio on here a while back, early summer I think, debating whether the business model could hold up. Ever since then, I've been watching to see what happens. This one definitely has my interest. I haven't put down any money for a deposit to "get in line", but for what I want/need, this thing may well fit the bill.
Same here. I've been following them for a while. They brought the car here to the Detroit area this summer. If they can bring this to market, 90% as promissed I will more than likely sell the golf and buy one. I could get to and from work on about a gallon a day, that's pretty sweet. The one thing I don't know about is the tail dragger rear tire. Here in MI, in the winter the snow in the center of the late means the rear end might want to just dance around a bit?
Ian F wrote:PHeller wrote: Thing is though, why not just buy a Geo Metro and save yourself a few grand?Because the last Geo Metro was built... when?
This. Perfect appliance. Buy a new car under warranty for $6k? As a bonus, it gets very good mileage and has very low operating costs?
If they bring it to market as described, I''d definitely consider one.
I like that I could part 2 of them end to end in my garage. If you offset them, I could park a ton in my garage.
I've been watching these. if they become available, I'd be very interested for use a commuter vehicle.
Ifr they come to market and are comfortable for me, I WILL buy one at that price point. Been waiting for more details/ability to test drive a production model.
certainly better looking than the Smart
My wife stopped me just this past weekend from bidding on an airplane fuselage on eBay to build essentially that vehicle. Not because it was a bad price or bad idea but because I won't have any time to go pick it up.
All I need is a single enclosed seat and the best possible fuel economy.
Klayfish wrote: There was a long thread about the Elio on here a while back, early summer I think, debating whether the business model could hold up. Ever since then, I've been watching to see what happens. This one definitely has my interest. I haven't put down any money for a deposit to "get in line", but for what I want/need, this thing may well fit the bill.
We also had a thread where we talked about making one of these cars by yourself. Spawned off of that one dude who was rude in making a 3 wheeler.
I wish him luck. But running a full sized plant will need a LOT of sales to pay for itself. Let alone to sell the car for that little.
My hunch is that the track up front will be too narrow for driving on Michigan winter roads, and Dr. Boost's concern for the rear wheel is valid. I also worry about the size scaring off buyers, since people I talk to think my Leaf is way too tiny.
That said, it's exciting to see a startup working on the opposite end of the spectrum of, say, Tesla.
bastomatic wrote: My hunch is that the track up front will be too narrow for driving on Michigan winter roads, and Dr. Boost's concern for the rear wheel is valid. I also worry about the size scaring off buyers, since people I talk to think my Leaf is way too tiny.
The front track is very wide... 66.8". The rear wheel is definitely a valid concern.
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