Why The Prototypes Have To Wait On The Engine

[Rickb]

Does look like fun, but that baby has 0 star crash protection!

We may be pleasantly surprised by the roll cage protection and safety gear the Toyota engineers design into the final production vehicle. Big auto needs to be as safety minded as Elio Motors when manufacuring a three wheeler.

 

[John Painter]

The Toyota Corolla base is about $12K. I bet the iRoad would be in the $12-15K range.

The Elio's overwhelming selling point is the price, not the MPG.

I think the Elio's selling point(s) is in attempting to creat a niche pathway through the strangle hold of regulatory crap which has grown up around the US automotive industry to deliver a low cost, high efficiency, reasonably safe to drive all season vehicle.

 

[Rickb]

I think the Elio's selling point(s) is in attempting to creat a niche pathway through the strangle hold of regulatory crap which has grown up around the US automotive industry to deliver a low cost, high efficiency, reasonably safe to drive all season vehicle.

I don't happen feel the regulations placed on the US Auto Industry are 'crap'. Corporations do not voluntarily self-regulate. Corporate Auto would not have voluntarily provided us with the safe and high mpg vehicles on the road today, as it's all about profit. Also, the regulations are supported by loan program options like the ATVM that may actually provide the opportunity for the new Elio Motors to succeed and the established big auto manufacturers like Ford Motors having received $5.9 Billion in ATVM Loan approval to upgrade manufacturing facilities and develop higher mpg Ford options. Other ATVM Loans approved: Nissan $1.9 Billion, and Tesla $450 Million. Elio's $240 Million is peanuts by comparison. I hope it's added to the list of loan approvals soon.

It seem's that Paul Elio is self regulating his motorcycle to auto standards, but it's mandatory, otherwise he would have no market for his commuter vehicle. I feel safer as a consumer with the mandated regulations that large Corporations oppose.

 

[CompTrex]

[snip]
It seem's that Paul Elio is self regulating his motorcycle to auto standards, but it's mandatory, [/snip]

This is a contradiction: self-regulating and mandatory. The only reason that it's 'mandatory' - and you do say this - is that the market demands it. And THAT'S how this should work. Self-regulate based upon the demands of the market, not what is mandated by US regulations.

 

[Jeff Porter]

The Toyota Corolla base is about $12K. I bet the iRoad would be in the $12-15K range.

The Elio's overwhelming selling point is the price, not the MPG.

Hi satx, your comment about the Toyota Corolla base hit me as being a bit low. I looked it up here, if you are talking about the 2015 model, the base is more like $17, and that's for a manual transmission.

 

[John Painter]

I don't happen feel the regulations placed on the US Auto Industry are 'crap'. Corporations do not voluntarily self-regulate. Corporate Auto would not have voluntarily provided us with the safe and high mpg vehicles on the road today, as it's all about profit. Also, the regulations are supported by loan program options like the ATVM that may actually provide the opportunity for the new Elio Motors to succeed and the established big auto manufacturers like Ford Motors having received $5.9 Billion in ATVM Loan approval to upgrade manufacturing facilities and develop higher mpg Ford options. Other ATVM Loans approved: Nissan $1.9 Billion, and Tesla $450 Million. Elio's $240 Million is peanuts by comparison. I hope it's added to the list of loan approvals soon.

It seem's that Paul Elio is self regulating his motorcycle to auto standards, but it's mandatory, otherwise he would have no market for his commuter vehicle. I feel safer as a consumer with the mandated regulations that large Corporations oppose.

Why wouldn't corporations self-regulate? If the consumer doesn't like a product and wont buy it, I'm thinking the corporation will self-regulate itself to something the market wants. I would agree nothing is surgical clean in the real world, that's how you end up with the SEC in cahoots with Enron and that whole debacle, but it was ultimately the consumer (press) catching up with them, not the government that put them out of business. In the automotive industry, I don't think it was the government twisting GM's arm to fix their faulty switches, if anything the Federal government was complicit. It was the consumer forcing the corporation to change. I do agree Paul Elio is trying to have his cake and eat it too by making up a new vehicle category, and if he can get into production, he will be eating a lot of cake.

 

[bowers baldwin]

Why wouldn't corporations self-regulate? If the consumer doesn't like a product and wont buy it, I'm thinking the corporation will self-regulate itself to something the market wants. I would agree nothing is surgical clean in the real world, that's how you end up with the SEC in cahoots with Enron and that whole debacle, but it was ultimately the consumer (press) catching up with them, not the government that put them out of business. In the automotive industry, I don't think it was the government twisting GM's arm to fix their faulty switches, if anything the Federal government was complicit. It was the consumer forcing the corporation to change. I do agree Paul Elio is trying to have his cake and eat it too by making up a new vehicle category, and if he can get into production, he will be eating a lot of cake.

Better cake than crow.

 

[Rickb]

Why wouldn't corporations self-regulate? If the consumer doesn't like a product and wont buy it, I'm thinking the corporation will self-regulate itself to something the market wants. I would agree nothing is surgical clean in the real world, that's how you end up with the SEC in cahoots with Enron and that whole debacle, but it was ultimately the consumer (press) catching up with them, not the government that put them out of business. In the automotive industry, I don't think it was the government twisting GM's arm to fix their faulty switches, if anything the Federal government was complicit. It was the consumer forcing the corporation to change. I do agree Paul Elio is trying to have his cake and eat it too by making up a new vehicle category, and if he can get into production, he will be eating a lot of cake.

The answer to your question and why many don't may be PROFIT. If an auto manufacturer knowingly puts a faulty ignition switch into a vehicle to save a few cents per vehicle, that causes my death, you are correct I won't be buying that product again. I don't expect or trust corporations, with that mentality, to be responsible in self-regulating other saftey features in autos or anything else for the consumer.

I simply don't trust large corporations to self-regulate when it comes to my personal safety and developing safer more energy efficient vehicles. We drive safer more efficient vehicles today as a result of mandated regulation. IMO Do you think Corporations do self-regulate?

 

[LockMD]

If an auto manufacturer knowing puts a faulty ignition switch into a vehicle to save a few cents per vehicle, that causes my death, you are correct I won't be buying that product again.

Or anything else for that matter, you're already dead.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

Better cake than crow.

Keep your eye on Food processing companies, HMO's, meat processing companies, and just see self regulation, once FDA leaves a plant, for some unknown reason salmonella incidents seem to go up, Chinese imports of chickens (ugh) what's that all about except corporate greed!! Most recent, health supplements some of which had zero ingredients listed on label.
On and on how if left to "self regulation, the public has no alternatives, and in many cases price trumps safety- Car recalls anyone? the weigh the cost of kills vs profit to see if they should cut profits. PLEASE!