SLOW! your transportation problems have been solved!

[eamarquardt]

you guys all act like a $1,000 dollar outlay is a big deal or something!
I'm following their FB page, if this turns out to be real I'll have one, of course getting them built for the price point they state will be a hurdle.
the big advantage of a three wheel car being it is exempt from most emissions testing, and ALL crash standards. Emissions and crash ratings being the two biggest hurdles to selling a car in North America. The one downside I see is having to wear a helmet in states with a helmet law for motorcycles, I also want to read a real car magazine review after they get to throw one around on a track.

Here in the "People's Republic of California" even motorcycles have emissions standards.

Cheers,

Gus

[Mojave Bob]

Elio is still working out the details for all 50 states, but at least for MOST states with helmet laws, there is an exemption for fully-enclosed cockpits, which this vehicle has. It is also worth noting that while the vehicle is technically a motorcycle, and therefore exempt from crash testing, the company says they WILL be crash testing, and have the goal of 5 stars in all categories. It is also not as small as you might think -- the front track is 75" wide, and the overall vehicle is longer than a Chevy Cruze.

Clearly, a $1000 deposit (or a $100 deposit, or a $10 deposit) is not in the best interest of every potential customer. There are always lots of early-adopters who are willing to risk some money to be the first in line. Elio makes it very clear that if the vehicle does not make it to production, the deposits will not be refunded. They have been open and honest about that. The question remains -- how likely are they to make it to production? And, will they achieve their target price, or close to it?

There are lots of naysayers predicting that Elio will fail and that they are a scam. I find this irritating. As far as I can tell, Paul Elio is a hardworking patriotic man who is looking to provide a transportation solution for a niche market. He says he is adequately funded with private money, and that he is on target to be in production in 2014. If you are skeptical (which is not a bad idea), why not just wait and see, rather than badmouthing the company? If it is a scam, we'll know soon enough.

I, for one, have been watching progress for months. I really hope they make it - I'd like to have one. But, I'm gonna wait to put my money down, mostly because I want to find out how comfortable it is before I commit to buy.

[eamarquardt]

.................. Elio makes it very clear that if the vehicle does not make it to production, the deposits will not be refunded. They have been open and honest about that...........................

Just how honest is it to take someone's money and deliver NOTHING in return. IMHO, it doesn't get much more dishonest than that even if you're up front about it.

If I were a gambling man, my money would be on that he never gets it into production and sells it for anywhere near the price he's quoting now.

Any takers?

Cheers,

Gus

[Wimperdink]

Here is a promise that confuses me.

In the FAQ, they kind of admit that it is classified as a motorcycle,


but they also make this claim.

uploadfromtaptalk1364230422530.jpg (35.3 KiB) Viewed 2500 times

From my understanding, most states require an m class endorsement for anything over 125cc. So is this going to be seriously under powered or do they intend to lobby congress to do away with m class for enclosed motorcycles?

[Mojave Bob]

It's completely honest. "I am going to take a risk and invest my life savings into a major project. There is no guarantee that I will succeed, and we may all lose everything that we have invested, but if you want to be involved in it, I'll offer you a 50% increase on your investment IF we make it to market. It's up to you to decide if that's a risk you are willing to take." I opt to NOT take that risk, but I don't see anything dishonest about the approach.

[Todah Tear]

Ooh, I want one. It looks like what the Corbin Sparrow should have been.

That was my exact thought!

As far as them stating that your investment will not be returned if the venture is not successfull, they would need to show evidence of progression along the way whether good or bad (not just at the end). Failure is alway risk, so do not invest what you cannot risk loosing.

Todah

[eamarquardt]

It's completely honest. "I am going to take a risk and invest my life savings into a major project. There is no guarantee that I will succeed, and we may all lose everything that we have invested, but if you want to be involved in it, I'll offer you a 50% increase on your investment IF we make it to market. It's up to you to decide if that's a risk you are willing to take." I opt to NOT take that risk, but I don't see anything dishonest about the approach.

A few final thought then I'll be quiet. When you put down your cash you're not making an "investment" as you'll have no promissory note, stock certificate, or anything of value. Should the company not produce your vehicle you'll have zip. All you have, after you plunk down your money, is a statement that you'll be on their list and that the deposit will apply towards your purchase. His first attempt to find an abandoned factory fell through because of a "lack of community support". WTF? The community has to be behind you? His current business lists its address as a unit on the second floor of a building in Tempe, Arizona. It's a small design firm with little on its site but platitudes.

If anyone is interested I'll "invest" my money wagering that a few prototypes may be produced but the 1,500 jobs he's promising will never come to pass and the vehicle will never reach production levels.

Call me a "Gloomy Gus".

Cheers,

Gus

[D.J.]

Popular Mechanics had a nice "Suburban-car" design in the 60s . It would not be a highway speedster but for around town it would be Ideal . .... D.J.

http://www.finkbuilt.com/blog/suburba-c ... 3-wheeler/

[jstrubberg]

I guess I'm a creature of habit, having driven larger vehicles for 25 years or so now.

I look at that thing and my first response is "that's a coffin with wheels to get you to your gravesite quicker".

My second is, where do the groceries go? I'm not sure I could get a change of clothes in there without having to leave a door open...

It might make it in the city, but it looks fairly useless for anyone with a real commute.

[Mojave Bob]

I guess I'm a creature of habit, having driven larger vehicles for 25 years or so now.

I look at that thing and my first response is "that's a coffin with wheels to get you to your gravesite quicker".

My second is, where do the groceries go? I'm not sure I could get a change of clothes in there without having to leave a door open...

It might make it in the city, but it looks fairly useless for anyone with a real commute.

If you spend the time to read through the Facebook page, there is quite a bit of information that is not on their website. First of all, they claim that the vehicle is larger, per person, than a full-size sedan, by an inch or so of width.

There is also a trunk, albeit a small one. It is large enough for a carry-on bag, or a couple of grocery bags. The current CAD drawings and the test mule don't show the outside trunk lid, but there is one planned for production. The back seat also folds down for carrying larger items when only one person is in the vehicle.

If you look at the foamie thread here on ttnt, or look at the Lil Snoozy campers (www.lilsnoozy.com), or read on various boat websites, you'll find that their sandwiched foam construction is a very strong, proven manufacturing process. It should provide surprisingly good protection in an accident. And, as I mentioned earlier, it is actually larger than a Chevy Cruze -- just narrower.

[Woodbutcher]

I guess I'm a creature of habit, having driven larger vehicles for 25 years or so now.

I look at that thing and my first response is "that's a coffin with wheels to get you to your gravesite quicker".

My second is, where do the groceries go? I'm not sure I could get a change of clothes in there without having to leave a door open...

It might make it in the city, but it looks fairly useless for anyone with a real commute.

It seems to me this is not meant as a family car. The competition is a motorcycle. The idea here is to allow you to travel with a passenger in all types of weather, thus making a 4 season motorcycle. This is something we in the North do not have. If you commute with this vehicle pile your stuff in the back seat, also something you could not do with a motorcycle that has saddlebags at best. Personally I think it is a cool idea and there is a market for it. To me it is a bargain at twice the expected price.

[kirkman]

I like it! Great idea for a commuter car for to and from work, or if you want to drive from NY to LA what a cheep drive that would be.

[wagondude]

Considering the Can Am 3 wheel motor cycle cost 3 times what this thing is expected to cost I doubt if this thing gets made it will be anywhere near the price they say now. The deposit is their way of judging interest and collecting some seed money. I will watch the site for updates.

This. I'm in the wait and see camp on this one. Unless he puts a production facility in a right to work state and manages to keep the unions out, there is no way to hit the target price or even twice. But it would still be a bargain at twice the price. If they can pull it off and produce a reliable product, I would be very interested. I just can't afford to risk the deposit, so I will wait for a production model to hit the market.

[Ron Dickey]

http://www.corbinsparrow.com/


I knew it looked familiar!!

[Vindi_andy]

I like this elio, but I wont be investing.

It says on their website they will be fulfilling US orders first and they wont be shipping until july 2014 at the earliest so It will be a while before they are available over here.