Where Do You Stand Now?

[DBN477]

wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_GX3
Because like my previous posts stated elsewhere I think people should do just a little research. But here you go. I'll let vw make my case this time. You can search for the fire and BMW cases if you wish.
The VW one is new to me so I'll share it. But it does illustrate my case perfectly.

Mercedes circa 1997
http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/top-1997-Mercedes-Benz-F-300-Life-Jet-Concept.htm

 

[Brainmatter]

Mercedes circa 1997
http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/top-1997-Mercedes-Benz-F-300-Life-Jet-Concept.htm

This highlites another reason so many of these are not viable: the designs are, to be nice, polarizing.
The Elio is very easy on the eyes I think.

 

[Craig]

wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_GX3
Because like my previous posts stated elsewhere I think people should do just a little research. But here you go. I'll let vw make my case this time. You can search for the fire and BMW cases if you wish.
The VW one is new to me so I'll share it. But it does illustrate my case perfectly.

Nothing like skidding down the road upside down using your forehead for a brake pad. This is still apple and oranges.

 

[DBN477]

I think DBN477 is trying to keep it real. I agree its possible this may not happen. Its one reason I wont do the 1000$ all in. I will only risk the 100$.

For VW one big difference is they would be taking sales from there own vehicles. Also if someone is paying 17K for a VW 3 wheeler they would rather buy a Jetta or other VW vehicle which would offer more than the 3 wheeler. But a Low price point on the other hand it becomes a different story. If Elio did succeed in creating and bringing this vehicle to market. How many normal car sales will be lost to the Elio? I am not saying they will bankrupt a car company but it will sting none the less.

Well no I posted VW because it was strictly a fair weather vehicle. No one shopping for the VW 3 wheeler would cross shop a Jetta. I should have made the point, even at a projected price of under $17k, it was not worth bringing to market because of legal concerns. So a major player decides a no brainer vehicle (no brainer, because what appeared to be corporate off the shelf 1.6l engine and 6 sp transmission) is not worth the profit or legal concerns. Even with "overwhelming response" it was not worth it for them to build it.

 

[ST13Fred]

Ford and BMW...... lawyers and red tape killed it for both companies. Bean counters played a role too.

The red tape I alluded to earlier as a major deterrent to getting a new vehicle to market also refers to the dreaded L words, lawyers and litigation (law suits).
IMO, there is more going on in that area than we realize, causing delays and affecting the costs of getting a business up and running.
In case some haven't noticed, doing business in the good ole' USA has become more difficult and expensive than most realize.

Between the (1) L words and (2) govt hurdles, the red tape pile can get very high, with a lot of time and money spent. Those 2 are, I feel, the BIG obstacles, maybe the biggest.

Elios' price point is attractive because all his component parts are off the shelf, the body and frame (and maybe drive train?) being the only higher ticket items.
If the OTD selling price can be kept under $10K, it will still sell. I truly hope Elio comes to fruition........its' been a fun ride so far.

 

[DBN477]

Nothing like skidding down the road upside down using your forehead for a brake pad. This is still apple and oranges.

This highlites another reason so many of these are not viable: the designs are, to be nice, polarizing.
The Elio is very easy on the eyes I think.

True, the Mercedes and the Carver are the best looking out there. Elio is vanilla. Vanilla sells. I like vanilla too.

And can you imagine how safe the Mercedes would have been? Certainly would have been the safest 3 wheeler ever built.

 

[DBN477]

Elios' price point is attractive because all his component parts are off the shelf, the body and frame (and maybe drive train?) being the only higher ticket items.
If the OTD selling price can be kept under $10K, it will still sell. I truly hope Elio comes to fruition........its' been a fun ride so far.

Well thats what they told us, but has anyone found the IAV engine in any other vehicle? We're still waiting on transmission manufacture. Right now I think the only off the shelf parts are tires wheels, suspension, seat, radio, instrument cluster from an F150 in the P3. Body and frame not off the shelf. ST13Fred I agree with red tape comment, but I don't believe it's causing delays. It's the lack of funding. You have to have an engine to certify, still waiting for engine. Programming the abs to work(can't take it from 1 vehicle and expect it to work in another without some fine tuning), all these things take money. Anyone know how much money Elio Motors has secured?

Think about this. Each one of the 18-26 prototypes/mules whatever that they plan to build soon will be hand made. How much do you think each one will cost to build? That's all I'm saying. How much money does Elio have, and what have they secured?

 

[DBN477]

A top speed of approximately 50 mph. The 230cc BMW engine—modified by Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP) to use natural gas—produces 12.5 kW (17 hp) of power and maximum torque of 15.5 Nm at 6,300 rpm.

Fuel consumption is estimated to be 2.4 liters/100 km gasoline equivalent (98 mpg US), with 59.5 g/km of CO2 emissions.

The compressed natural gas is stored in two removable gas bottles providing a range of 150 km (93 miles).

Don’t think the lawyers had much to do with it. It may have been the worst design you can have for a three wheeler. Ten to one this car was more then $7,000.00.

Plus, I don't know why people keep comparing apples to oranges.
　
http://www.carscoops.com/2006/04/bmw-clever-concept_20.html

Are you sure it was the one you posted? Or this one that has a gas and electric motor
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/BMW-Concept-Car-Simple-3-Wheel,news-4840.html#BMW-Concept-Car-Simple-3-Wheel,news-4840.html?&_suid=139477042767106896337369292667 that does 125mph

 

[goofyone]

Anyone who is on this forum should be aware that Elio Motors is not a sure thing at this point even if most of us really want to see it succeed. While we wait to see how this plays out we have little to do than dissect every little scrap of information endlessly. What we all need to do is step back at times and remember that the vast majority of what we are discussing is purely speculation as anyone who knows the truth is not on this board talking about it.

The fact is that we do not get to see the vast majority of what is going on behind the scenes of this enormous undertaking in which Mr Elio and his associates are trying to design a new vehicle as well as develop the manufacturing and sales channels it takes to sell the vehicle all while dealing with the many legal and governmental hurdles. If all that wasn't enough he has to raise the capital necessary to finish the project which is out there but you have to shake a lot of hands and talk to a lot of people to find the ones wiling to invest the money you need with the strings you are willing to live with. Some of you may not even realize that we may not hear about some venture capital they receive as it is common for companies to be prevented from publicly divulging some venture capital investments. There are many venture capitalists who do not want to be associated with something until they are sure it is either going to pan out or there are issues and they have to take control of the project and either set it straight or liquify the assets for as much as they can get.

 

[jetpack54]

Anyone who is on this forum should be aware that Elio Motors is not a sure thing at this point even if most of us really want to see it succeed. While we wait to see how this plays out we have little to do than dissect every little scrap of information endlessly. What we all need to do is step back at times and remember that the vast majority of what we are discussing is purely speculation as anyone who knows the truth is not on this board talking about it.

The fact is that we do not get to see the vast majority of what is going on behind the scenes of this enormous undertaking in which Mr Elio and his associates are trying to design a new vehicle as well as develop the manufacturing and sales channels it takes to sell the vehicle all while dealing with the many legal and governmental hurdles. If all that wasn't enough he has to raise the capital necessary to finish the project which is out there but you have to shake a lot of hands and talk to a lot of people to find the ones wiling to invest the money you need with the strings you are willing to live with. Some of you may not even realize that we may not hear about some venture capital they receive as it is common for companies to be prevented from publicly divulging some venture capital investments. There are many venture capitalists who do not want to be associated with something until they are sure it is either going to pan out or there are issues and they have to take control of the project and either set it straight or liquify the assets for as much as they can get.

Patient is the key right now. If I have to guess, I'm thinking that the investors out there who has been monitoring EM progress/ or lack of it knows now that there's a solid demand for it but does not want to commit due to the low price that EM wants to sell their trike. Meaning that it will take the investors longer to re-coop their initial investment before making money. And as a business...it's a big consideration. It's either EM accept the hard reality and announce that they failed to meet the promised $6,800 or keep stalling until some gullible investor go all in. I for one will still buy it if it's under 10 grand. At the very least, my 1K all in didn't end up to be an expensive t-shirt!