Sondors Electric Car

[Rickb]

In order to sell a SONDORs to order delivered to the customers door or to sell a gazillion Elio's at Elio Stores they both have to have a Team and a Team Leader with the ability to build ONE validated prototype.

 

[Frim]

Again, IMO, it's a matter of your perspective. I find nothing misleading or "luring".
The mission statement of ultimately raising and using another total of $20M to get to production...
Has been outlined numerous times. The information is easily and readily available to anyone and everyone.

Any reasonable person would assume that the testing mentioned in the quote below...
Will almost certainly find that the vehicle needs some degree of modification and tuning.
They aren't calling it a production vehicle nor did they say that it won't be tested and refined.

It's going to be the same one basic vehicle from the start to the finish of the $20M process.
Not completely different ones. How many name changes during the process should there be?

"In the next 60 days, we're raising $2 million to complete a production ready Model SONDORS.
We'll then work to raise the additional funds necessary for production tooling and testing."
https://www.elioowners.com/threads/sondors-electric-car.7832/page-52#post-191057

I see your point. But I still think it comes down to Tom-a-to, tom-au-to.

Zenith Corp (TVs) once described their hands-on production model as much superior to machine productions that made a mistake, mistake, mistake, mistake, mistake-----
Getting a complete production model requires real attention to every detail. It can't be a one step process. IMHO I supervised the construction of 25 "Back to the Future rides for Disney/Tokyo. By the time we had finished the 6th car, we almost had the production model complete.

 

[Doug McDow]

Like Electra Meccanica, Sondors will not be having to "pour a foundation" for a large facility themselves.
Thus eliminating the lion's share of those costs. They built prototype #1 on chump change...
And they have projected that they can get to production by bid for another $20M.
(Which they're now well into the process of raising).

Compare that to the Elio expenditure to get to... well, where they're at now. Perpetually 'mostly ready'.
I'd hardy call being in need of $370M+ to begin production "Mostly set up and mostly ready to go."

The Chinese will be working for Sondors, not the other way around.

To this day Sondors has spent very little on advertising. He also told me on Sat. that he hopes to build the first 1000 Model Sondors in Italy. I like the man and hope that he pulls it off. A pic. That I took on Sat.

 

[Rickb]

Doug, does the SONDORs build look as quality fit and finished in person as in the photos?

 

[Rob Croson]

True that. But "When they are done" has become the key factor.

Yeah, that is key. Plans are all pointless if you can't execute.

Well, apparently the huge amount of money EM already spent did not...
"get you everything you need to start pumping out Elios by the tens of thousands."

Well, no, it hasn't. We all knew that it wouldn't. EM never said that the $16M from the Reg A+ would get them all the way to production. It was supposed to get us to a validated prototype, ready for production. Personally, I'm very disappointed that that didn't happen. That was a crapload of money. Yes, they apparently did a lot of design changes with it, and that's all well and good. Hopefully it leads to a better vehicle in the end. But that's not what we were told the money was going to be used for, and that's unfortunate.

Like I said, different roads, different requirements. My personal opinion is that if EM can pull it off, they will be a much better position, and much quicker, than any of the other three-wheeler startups. While the others are struggling to turn small scale 5k a year production something bigger, even assuming that there is demand for their products (as I've said, I have my doubts about the SRK's broader appeal), EM's much stronger manufacturing base should push them to the front of the pack.

Assuming, of course, that they can actually pull it off.

 

[Doug McDow]

Sweet vehicle! I only wish the SONDORs had the drivers seat and weight distribution in line with the single rear wheel and one less seat so I could fly the middle of the road. More auto than autocycle. I sense he has the ability and interest in his concept to likely pull it off.

Doug, does the SONDORs build look as quality fit and finished in person as in the photos?

Yes it does, I might add that once the Sondors takes off he wants to build front wheel drives for all You snowy weather guys! With both wheels pulling you through that snow!

 

[acentre]

Yes it does, I might add that once the Sondors takes off he wants to build front wheel drives for all You snowy weather guys! With both wheels pulling you through that snow!

Us snowy guys have no trouble with just the rear wheels pushing in the snow, as would most drivers with the properly equipped and driven vehicles.

 

[Coss]

Us snowy guys have no trouble with just the rear wheels pushing in the snow, as would most drivers with the properly equipped and driven vehicles.

Yeah, but FWD is better, IF you know how to drive (I grew up and learned to drive in the Chicago area, and winters were a bitch, dead batteries, stuck in driveways after the plow came by, etc.)

 

[voyager]

interesting...
https://jalopnik.com/this-could-be-the-car-for-everyone-let-down-by-elio-1820840933

 

[raptor213]

Shout-out to Elio...