Shreveport Plant Operations And Personnel Questions

[Lil4X]

That's. Only about 12/hr, working 3 shifts. Those 2nd and 3rd shifts will have to come on quickly because it's difficult to stop and restart the line for an 8-hour worday.

Demand will drive production, but once there are a few thousand Elios are on the road the owners (that's you and me) will be their best emissaries/salespeople.

 

[goofyone]

Demand will drive production, but once there are a few thousand Elios are on the road the owners (that's you and me) will be their best emissaries/salespeople.

This is a fact. Thanks to the pre-sale system going on right now Elio Motors will likely deliver tens of thousands of rolling billboards to customers before Elio Motors opens their retail stores and must convince the general public to come in and buy these vehicles for themselves.

This pre-sale system is important to Elio Motors in so many ways. As we get closer to production and people see more progress I am sure the reservations will continue to grow at a faster rate.

 

[HonestTex]

Will the 120 models for the stores go out before they start on the reservations?

 

[goofyone]

Will the 120 models for the stores go out before they start on the reservations?

I don't know if these will be built before the reservations or if they have just reserved some reservation numbers for their own needs. I suspect Elio has left themselves some sort of availability for their own uses as they do need vehicles for their stores and they have also discussed a test drive program where they will travel around the country offering test drive events.

I personally don't expect Elio Motors to open very many retail stores right away immediately as production begins. We know they will have months of production already reserved so it would be a bit of waste to open a store when you can't deliver any cars for over six months. What I would expect to see open earlier are the distribution centers as these can be used to help open retail stores and deliver cars to customers.

 

[JP]

I'd be interested in how it would be if an investor were to try to finance this. I think this car would do well in Asia especially. However, I know the car is supposed to be American made but I don't know how much America can support a car like this by itself, since it will be a niche market car.

 

[Cali Chris]

I'm sure once things get hot and heavy and they open up the International Market, they will build a plant on both the East and West coast near a port. JMO

East and West coast is very expensive. They already have cheap access to a port in Shreveport. The shipping cost from there would probably be more cost effective than building or acquiring manufacturing plants on the east or west coast. If the export is small then they may do bulk rail shipping to east and west coast rail yards since they will have to ship large quantities of vehicles there already. I'm no expert, but it seems logical. Any thought?

 

[Lil4X]

That Shreveport plant is massive, some 1 million sqft. Considering the lack of complexity to the Elio concept, that relatively new facility should be able to support the North American market for at least a few years.

 

[dgruis]

I give the Pep Boys announcement a thumbs-up, even though I live over 120 miles from the closest Pep Boys.

Quite a few have bashed the Pep Boys announcement, but I see it as a potential positive. "Leadership" challenging the status quo is challenging; whereas, "followership" would imply that Elio must only do what other car companies have done.

The Suck-Squeeze-Bang-Blow of the 4 cycle engine is a simple concept that MANY professional & shade tree mechanics understand. If the Elio is as basic as I think it will be, I do NOT see a need to invest in dealership/repair facilities. I hope (assume) other automotive repair franchises (i.e., Mieneke, Madas, etc.) have the pits and tools to handle many, maybe all repairs. If many of the parts used are off-the-shelf, many automotive repair franchises already have the needed install/order contacts.

In northern states, motorcycle mechanics probably have spare time and space in the winter months. Motorcycle dealerships already have mechanics, facilities and tools to handle a machine that weighs only a couple of hundred pounds more than a Honda Goldwing 1800.

Most new cars can only repaired in the providers' shops, many motorheads would consider an Elio if they can fix it themselves. The Pep Boys announcement gives me hope that the Elio will be basic as they have indicated.

 

[Cali Chris]

The Suck-Squeeze-Bang-Blow of the 4 cycle engine is a simple concept that MANY professional & shade tree mechanics understand.

Love the descriptive explanation of of the internal combustion engine. I have about $50K in automotive diagnostic and repair tools and equipment; and I have a shade tree. Am I qualified?

 

[Rickb]

This is a fact. Thanks to the pre-sale system going on right now Elio Motors will likely deliver tens of thousands of rolling billboards to customers before Elio Motors opens their retail stores and must convince the general public to come in and buy these vehicles for themselves.

This pre-sale system is important to Elio Motors in so many ways. As we get closer to production and people see more progress I am sure the reservations will continue to grow at a faster rate.

Yes.......and in order for that to work the pre-sale customer expectations need to be met or exceeded regarding the vehicle, as well as how we feel about the the final details of the sales and servicing plan. The early adopter Elio owners need to be very enthusiastic and happy with the ride, sales, and service model...........not just yeh......it's o.k. my Elio gets me from point a to b, not much fun to drive and still don't know how the hell I'm going to get it serviced.

The pre-sale system is very important to Elio and we all have a lot of blind faith in Elio.