Somewhat Tough Questions...

[TexasElio]

Good afternoon!

This is my first posting on this forum...

A bit about me...I'm a 30 year veteran of the auto industry...and a huge automobile enthusiast!

I've been blessed to have owned more than a hundred vehicles in my lifetime...and have every intention of owning an Elio when & if it actually comes to market...assuming it meets the promised specification's...

I have not placed a advanced reservation deposit at this time...my 30 years of automobile experience has taught me that the first year of production of any new vehicle is always a work in progress...resulting in numerous improvements to the product in the 2nd year of production...

I have followed the Elio story closely the last several years...and Elio's slow progress to unveil production ready prototypes has me very puzzled...

I'm involved in over a dozen different automotive forums...and I have a reputation for asking tough questions...

So...The Elio Vehicle is less than 12 months to the promised production date...and the design work is still not finalized.The automotive industry has numerous standards related to NVH via SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). Elio Motors has not indicated whether they will be meeting or utilizing these standards. The major automotive manufacturers go through extensive design and testing processes to address NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) issues. So is Elio Motors utilizing these standards to develop their vehicle?

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

Welcome to Elio Owners.

I don't know, but I doubt that Elio will be testing their motorcycle to SAE automotive NVH standards. That takes time and likely costs a fair bit of money.

I also doubt Elio will make their promised production date. But I do still think it likely it will be produced. Being a car enthusiast, racer, shade-tree mechanic, and realist I know the first year will not be perfect, if it's made at all. But I'm in a position to take that risk and make that gamble.

 

[Jim H]

Good afternoon!

This is my first posting on this forum...

A bit about me...I'm a 30 year veteran of the auto industry...and a huge automobile enthusiast!

I've been blessed to have owned more than a hundred vehicles in my lifetime...and have every intention of owning an Elio when & if it actually comes to market...assuming it meets the promised specification's...

I have not placed a advanced reservation deposit at this time...my 30 years of automobile experience has taught me that the first year of production of any new vehicle is always a work in progress...resulting in numerous improvements to the product in the 2nd year of production...

I have followed the Elio story closely the last several years...and Elio's slow progress to unveil production ready prototypes has me very puzzled...

I'm involved in over a dozen different automotive forums...and I have a reputation for asking tough questions...

So...The Elio Vehicle is less than 12 months to the promised production date...and the design work is still not finalized.The automotive industry has numerous standards related to NVH via SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). Elio Motors has not indicated whether they will be meeting or utilizing these standards. The major automotive manufacturers go through extensive design and testing processes to address NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) issues. So is Elio Motors utilizing these standards to develop their vehicle?

TexasElio, welcome to the forum. We are an eclectic bunch with diverse backgrounds and look forward to your perspectives.

 

[Ty]

Good afternoon!

This is my first posting on this forum...

A bit about me...I'm a 30 year veteran of the auto industry...and a huge automobile enthusiast!

I've been blessed to have owned more than a hundred vehicles in my lifetime...and have every intention of owning an Elio when & if it actually comes to market...assuming it meets the promised specification's...

I have not placed a advanced reservation deposit at this time...my 30 years of automobile experience has taught me that the first year of production of any new vehicle is always a work in progress...resulting in numerous improvements to the product in the 2nd year of production...

I have followed the Elio story closely the last several years...and Elio's slow progress to unveil production ready prototypes has me very puzzled...

I'm involved in over a dozen different automotive forums...and I have a reputation for asking tough questions...

So...The Elio Vehicle is less than 12 months to the promised production date...and the design work is still not finalized.The automotive industry has numerous standards related to NVH via SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). Elio Motors has not indicated whether they will be meeting or utilizing these standards. The major automotive manufacturers go through extensive design and testing processes to address NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) issues. So is Elio Motors utilizing these standards to develop their vehicle?

Elio is using a lot of "off the shelf" items and thus will avoid a lot of engineering pitfalls that they would encounter if they were starting from scratch. The Elio is, of course, not considered a car so they don't HAVE to meet any of the standards. However, the intent is to meet standards anyway. As far as investing in a car in the first year of production... Well, the most collectible cars are always the first run! Actually, I went in to show my support for the concept and company. I figured that it was well past time for a car that met needs vs. wants. It is silly to drive around a bunch of empty seats (I have an F-350 for crying out loud) when you can get by with a lighter, smaller, more efficient vehicle. I also figured that parts suppliers are much more likely to gear towards producing Elio parts if there is a known market. If the door handle guy gets a call to make 10 handles, he might not be keen to make molds... get called to make 50,000, heck yes!

 

[Bert]

Right side door handles, half off!!

 

[Ty]

Right side door handles, half off!!

LOL. Hmm... save them for the European version?

 

[Jeff Porter]

Good afternoon!

This is my first posting on this forum...

A bit about me...I'm a 30 year veteran of the auto industry...and a huge automobile enthusiast!

I've been blessed to have owned more than a hundred vehicles in my lifetime...and have every intention of owning an Elio when & if it actually comes to market...assuming it meets the promised specification's...

I have not placed a advanced reservation deposit at this time...my 30 years of automobile experience has taught me that the first year of production of any new vehicle is always a work in progress...resulting in numerous improvements to the product in the 2nd year of production...

I have followed the Elio story closely the last several years...and Elio's slow progress to unveil production ready prototypes has me very puzzled...

I'm involved in over a dozen different automotive forums...and I have a reputation for asking tough questions...

So...The Elio Vehicle is less than 12 months to the promised production date...and the design work is still not finalized.The automotive industry has numerous standards related to NVH via SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). Elio Motors has not indicated whether they will be meeting or utilizing these standards. The major automotive manufacturers go through extensive design and testing processes to address NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) issues. So is Elio Motors utilizing these standards to develop their vehicle?

Hey TexasElio, a big hearty welcome to you. Glad to have you here as an auto industry veteran. Looking forward to reading your perspectives and thoughts.

 

[JEBar]

Good afternoon!

This is my first posting on this forum...

A bit about me...I'm a 30 year veteran of the auto industry...and a huge automobile enthusiast!

I'm involved in over a dozen different automotive forums...and I have a reputation for asking tough questions...

welcome indeed .... I bought my first new vehicle back in '65 and would have to do some thinking to come up with a list of all the ones that have come and gone since then .... the first thing I'd suggest that you might want to factor into your thinking is the Elio isn't an automobile .... as a motorcycle its development will certainly have some commonalities with that of an automobile but in the end, its a very different animal .... personally, I enjoy seeing tough questions answered, I tend to learn more from such exchanges .... we do have some people here who are so committed to Elio Motors that they have trouble dealing with anything mentioned that isn't glowing in nature .... we have a few who are on the opposite end of the spectrum .... so far as I know they are all good folks and I enjoy reading their comments .... as you read through the forum you will see that the motor is currently undergoing extensive testing, the results of which are still several months away .... progress appears to be underway on several fronts and they are still saying production will begin in late 2015 .... time will tell .... I well understand your concern about early production models .... I held off making a reservation until I felt pretty certain somewhere around 40,000 will have rolled off the line prior to ours .... looking forward to reading your post and learning from your experince

Jim

 

[zelio]

Good afternoon!

This is my first posting on this forum...

A bit about me...I'm a 30 year veteran of the auto industry...and a huge automobile enthusiast!

I've been blessed to have owned more than a hundred vehicles in my lifetime...and have every intention of owning an Elio when & if it actually comes to market...assuming it meets the promised specification's...

I have not placed a advanced reservation deposit at this time...my 30 years of automobile experience has taught me that the first year of production of any new vehicle is always a work in progress...resulting in numerous improvements to the product in the 2nd year of production...

I have followed the Elio story closely the last several years...and Elio's slow progress to unveil production ready prototypes has me very puzzled...

I'm involved in over a dozen different automotive forums...and I have a reputation for asking tough questions...

So...The Elio Vehicle is less than 12 months to the promised production date...and the design work is still not finalized.The automotive industry has numerous standards related to NVH via SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). Elio Motors has not indicated whether they will be meeting or utilizing these standards. The major automotive manufacturers go through extensive design and testing processes to address NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) issues. So is Elio Motors utilizing these standards to develop their vehicle?

Hi and welcome from Oregon, TexasElio. The Elio is not an automobile. The Elio is an autocycle. Are you also familiar with motocyle specs? I hope you will read the many informative posts on here before judging based on your automobile background. There are differences well worth learning about. My guess is you have followed the Elio closely within the box of your knowledge rather than with an open mind. This is an exciting adventure. I sincerely hope you can enjoy it. :-) Z

 

[Craig]

Welcome