Pick Your Model!!

[Craig]

Actually many vehicles are shipped in a similar multi-step fashion now. Most cars and trucks are produced in factories or delivered on ships to seaports then shipped via rail or truck to distribution points where all models a car manufacturer produces are kept on a lot and sorted for delivery to dealerships. I am sure you have seen trucks delivering these vehicles and have not even realized what was happening in front of you. If you notice most trucks delivering new cars and trucks to dealerships are not full of the same model but instead a mix of models, the multi-step distribution system is how this happens.

It's not so much the transportation part, it's the midpoint distribution centers I don't remember hearing about.

 

[Kuda]

It's not so much the transportation part, it's the midpoint distribution centers I don't remember hearing about.

I've never seen anything stating regional dist. centers. Rather each of
the 60 initial key market points (stores) will be suported by an assembly
wherehouse type of setup to put on the options & make the 'stated' 24hr
turnaround.............this is how I read the website info............

 

[Craig]

I've never seen anything stating regional dist. centers. Rather each of
the 60 initial key market points (stores) will be suported by an assembly
wherehouse type of setup to put on the options & make the 'stated' 24hr
turnaround.............this is how I read the website info............

OK, that makes more sense. This will not affect the shipping charges, but it does double the number of buildings needed at each location. In their financials, this extra building was not mentioned, nor their cost and the number of employees required for each.

 

[Kuda]

OK, that makes more sense. This will not affect the shipping charges, but it does double the number of buildings needed at each location. In their financials, this extra building was not mentioned, nor their cost and the number of employees required for each.

I'm sure the procurement & logistics guys lay awake nights wondering
what they've overlooked........

 

[goofyone]

I've never seen anything stating regional dist. centers. Rather each of
the 60 initial key market points (stores) will be suported by an assembly
wherehouse type of setup to put on the options & make the 'stated' 24hr
turnaround.............this is how I read the website info............

This would be much less efficient than using distribution centers as with distribution centers you would spread the cost of the location, inventory, and final assembly technicians over a much larger number of stores instead of having to do everything one store at a time. Plus on the website it specifically says 'distribution centers' handling 'lots of Elios'.

 

[AltoidBox]

Can't believe after all this research and people posting, I miss this.
I also can't believe they are doing it this way. For the first time after all that we here have been through, I now have my doubts this is going to happen under $10K, if at all. If it cost say, $500 to ship to regional distribution, it will cost $500 to ship the rest of the way. JMO

I bought my wife's Honda Fit off of eBay from a place 800 miles away. I paid an independent trucker $400 to have it shipped. He had a standard enclosed trailer that only fit about 3 vehicles. I'm sure it's a heck of a lot cheaper per vehicle if you have a trailer designed for hauling cars. It's probably even cheaper if you can do most of the trip by rail.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Kuda]

Plus on the website it specifically says 'distribution centers' handling 'lots of Elios'.[/quote]

I took that to be the 'Store' Support centers, not regional centers..........
again taking into consideration the '24 hr turnaround'.........

 

[Ty]

I have to point out that the installation of options is planned for regional distribution centers not the stores.

From eliomotors.com Elio Store area:

I missed the part about regional distribution. In that case, final assembly items could be done there easily enough, I would think.

 

[Ty]

My take on your scenario: You've missed 2 options in NAV and cruise so permutations are now well over a thousand. Secondly, we are NOT talking traditional dealerships here with service bays and mechanics, but rather stores where you will go to place your order. All service is to be done by a partner business. I cannot envision the logistics, but I do know that if the vehicle is created for modular construction/upgrade as you have hinted at in your discourse, facilitating orders/builds will be vastly more simple.

Well said. Probably at the regional distribution centers as I was reminded.

 

[goofyone]

Plus on the website it specifically says 'distribution centers' handling 'lots of Elios'.

I took that to be the 'Store' Support centers, not regional centers..........
again taking into consideration the '24 hr turnaround'.........

I think we need to contact Elio and find out as this is an interesting question.

Regional centers could easily be located in central locations several hours drive from major cities. Places such as Bakersfield, CA from where Elios would be six hours or less drive from the major cities in California and Nevada. Even Phoenix and Flagstaff Arizona may not be too far away. Elios could easily be shipped via rail, cheapest method, straight from the Shreveport plant to Bakersfield and then onwards by truck to the many stores from this single distribution point which could operate efficiently 24 hours a day as it would support many busy stores.

It would not shock me if we also see a hybrid of these systems where many stores can be served regionally however some stores may be too far away so they have to operate independently with their own options warehouse and technicians.