The P5: What Would You Change?

[Scott Berridge]

I've read in the various chats/blogs on here that there supposedly will be no other option for instrumentation, that the Elgin is standard, that's the way the Elio comes, like it or not. That just doesn't make sense. There surely must be another dash option that use traditional gauges. And if there is, it better not be at an additional cost!

 

[JEBar]

I've read in the various chats/blogs on here that there supposedly will be no other option for instrumentation, that the Elgin is standard, that's the way the Elio comes, like it or not. That just doesn't make sense. There surely must be another dash option that use traditional gauges. And if there is, it better not be at an additional cost!

unless Paul has a major change of heart, from the factory, the Elgin dash will be the only one installed .... its basically, take it or leave it .... for folks (like me) who do not like the looks of the Elgin and want to change it, the only avenue will be though some aftermarket source and will do so at an additional cost

 

[Jeff Miller]

I've read in the various chats/blogs on here that there supposedly will be no other option for instrumentation, that the Elgin is standard, that's the way the Elio comes, like it or not. That just doesn't make sense. There surely must be another dash option that use traditional gauges. And if there is, it better not be at an additional cost!

Really???

Are there any other automobile/motorcycle companies that offer the consumer their choice of dash and at no additional cost, especially at this price point?

EM is building a vehicle to a certain price point with options of their choosing with choices being made for any number of reasons all of which may or may not be in agreement with what you or many of the other vocal complainers have stated about the elio. If you don't like it, don't buy it or customize it at your own expensive afterward.

 

[Coss]

unless Paul has a major change of heart, from the factory, the Elgin dash will be the only one installed .... its basically, take it or leave it .... for folks (like me) who do not like the looks of the Elgin and want to change it, the only avenue will be though some aftermarket source and will do so at an additional cost

Agreed; that's why I'm looking at lower cost alternatives than new digital which would run $500 to $600 at the low end and $1,000+ at the upper end.
The first alternative I'm looking at is to use the same dash they used in the P4; the Geo Metro; you can pick those up for under $100

 

[Ekh]

That brings up a related question. Has Elio said what plans, if any, they have with regard to sharing specs for the vehicle with aftermarket parts suppliers? Assuming those come with adequate protections, such agreements could help foster a lot of aftermarket improvements like those raised in this forum, freeing Elio to focus on the base vehicle and OEM accessories.

The one thing that is certain -- Elio-approved aftermarket suppliers have to agree to accept a max markup of 20%. That's kind of amazing, but it's true... at least for now.

 

[JEBar]

The one thing that is certain -- Elio-approved aftermarket suppliers have to agree to accept a max markup of 20%. That's kind of amazing, but it's true... at least for now.

I tend to believe that there will be a thriving industry in non Elio-approved aftermarket suppliers .... their products may well have an impact on the warranty but I have no doubt some will be widely used ....

 

[Coss]

The one thing that is certain -- Elio-approved aftermarket suppliers have to agree to accept a max markup of 20%. That's kind of amazing, but it's true... at least for now.

This is not that uncommon; it used to me called "Fair Trade Pricing", I have no idea what they call it now. But look at items like Nikon, Go Pro, Recaro Seats, no matter where you go, they are all priced the same, and the people selling them have to agree to a fixed markup. If you go into Amazon a Go Pro is going to cost you the same as if you bought it from Go Pro.
A shop I worked for use to always double the price of an item from what it cost us. If you brought cleaning chemicals (like Armor All, etc.) we bought for $5.00 it would cost you $9.95; but when we sold Recaro Seats our max mark up was 12% over cost. If we tried to sell it for more, Recaro would cancel our ability to buy any more (aka they would cancel our franchise)
That make sense?

 

[Coss]

I tend to believe that there will be a thriving industry in non Elio-approved aftermarket suppliers .... their products may well have an impact on the warranty but I have no doubt some will be widely used ....

That's where they can enforce using certain parts; like if you use parts from Vendor A they do not effect your warranty; but if you use parts from Vendor 48 while they may be cheaper, they do void the warranty.

And that's because Vendor A is EM approved, Vendor 48 is not.

 

[Buckeyejake]

The situation you speak of is a case of brand control. The branding company defines a quality and price that does not hurt or limit the brand. They expect to control any option that may effect the well being of the brand. Happens all the time. We usually are not privy to the obligations.

 

[BlioKart]

Really???

Are there any other automobile/motorcycle companies that offer the consumer their choice of dash and at no additional cost, especially at this price point?

EM is building a vehicle to a certain price point with options of their choosing with choices being made for any number of reasons all of which may or may not be in agreement with what you or many of the other vocal complainers have stated about the elio. If you don't like it, don't buy it or customize it at your own expensive afterward.

Main gauge clusters are usually not optional items. You might see some where top end models(more$) get a change from the base model or automatic transmission models don't get a rpm gauge while manual transmission cars do.