84 MPG $6,800

C

ClimbnSink

Ejection Handle Pulled
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Oct 11, 2007
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Greg
http://www.eliomotors.com/
55hp from a 1 liter motor, 800lbs and better aerodynamics then most cars, numbers seem plausible except for the purchase price. Same start price of a regular motorcycle. If they can make it happen they should sell a crap load. I'm waiting for GM protectionist legislation declaring three wheelers cars and subject to all the car stuff which would kill this dead. :yikes:
 
OK, so a single person car gets 84mpg. But wait, you have a wife and 3 kids. Even your "gas hog" SUV with 18mpg is better overall when you figure mpg/person.

And for the single guy, how am I supposed to pick up women with this?
 
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Hopes to begin production next year.

Seems an unrealistically low price point.

The CanAm Spyder is about $20k, I think, and lots of similar conversions (T-Rex, etc) can push $40k.

With three wheels, it will technically be a motorcycle most places. Don't know if that will make a helmet mandatory in some states.

Good luck to him. Though I would not want to part with any money until there's a roadable product.
 
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I parted with $100 deposit for this one back about a year ago. I may lose my $100, but we'll give it a try. Some states have already said that 3 wheels don't need a helmet, provided the occupant is in an enclosed vehicle. Other states are different.

It troubles me that recently he's been rather cadgey with the details of his engine/trans. At one time, it was the same as the Smart car, I think they looked at an aircooled V-twin, then it was the Suzuki/Geo, and now the info has dried up.
 
Nothing new under the sun! Many years ago in the UK I had a Bond Minicar which regularly got 95mpg to an imperial gallon of gas. Three small wheels, two seats and a single cylinder two stroke engine mounted on the front wheel, and turning with it when steering. I did once get it up to 50mph on a level road with a tailwind, but rather unstable on those small wheels, about the same size as on my Traveler.
 
The price always look good ,until they try to produce the product.
 
creweite said:
Nothing new under the sun! Many years ago in the UK I had a Bond Minicar which regularly got 95mpg to an imperial gallon of gas. Three small wheels, two seats and a single cylinder two stroke engine mounted on the front wheel, and turning with it when steering. I did once get it up to 50mph on a level road with a tailwind, but rather unstable on those small wheels, about the same size as on my Traveler.
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No kidding! Here is the same idea circa 1955. This was a real car you could buy in Europe and America for a decade.

Messerschmitt KR200

messerschmitt.jpg


Yes, this is the same company that made the famous fighter planes of WWII.

I am the sort of guy that would buy one of these Elios, but it smacks of venture capital rip off scheme. If it ever makes it to a showroom anywhere, I'll go and see it. By that time, it will cost nearly triple what they are claiming now. You can not build this vehicle in America and sell it at breaking even for $6800. This is a scam.
 
EdFred said:
OK, so a single person car gets 84mpg. But wait, you have a wife and 3 kids. Even your "gas hog" SUV with 18mpg is better overall when you figure mpg/person.

And for the single guy, how am I supposed to pick up women with this?
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2 seater. Tandem backseat pilots should love it. The airport museum at Post Mills had one of those Messerschmidt cars. Everything seems possible but the price.
 
By defining it as a motorcycle with a sidecar, or a non-auto, he got away with a lot less regulation in terms of DOT standards. You'll notice the lack of bumpers, although he is incorporating airbags and ABS. The ABS is an easy feature that doesn't cost a lot to add these days with off the shelf products avail. The airbag is kind of interesting to engineer, but we will see. There are a million other DOT regs that he doesn't have to comply with, and also much like the aircraft industry, he isn't required to do road testing, crash tests, etc before producing and selling his 3 wheeler.

Too keep costs down, I'm pretty sure he's settled on the Suzuki swift engine/trans combo, which has matured and is made by the many thousands. He can order a boatload(literally) of them and have them delivered to the port of New Orleans for a pretty low unit cost. He's got a GM factory in Shreveport for pennies on the dollar which will also help.

They are still short of cash as any startup would be, but there is still interest in his product, and if he can come up with the cash to get going, I think he'll actually build them. I could be wrong, and I'll be out a $100, but if he does get them built, I think they will sell fast.
 
ClimbnSink said:
2 seater. Tandem backseat pilots should love it. The airport museum at Post Mills had one of those Messerschmidt cars. Everything seems possible but the price.
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Yeah, well there are certain things that can't be done in a tandem seating configuration. It's a non starter. At least on a bike you can get a reach around.
 
EdFred said:
Yeah, well there are certain things that can't be done in a tandem seating configuration. It's a non starter. At least on a bike you can get a reach around.
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You can get a motel room with the money saved on gas:lol:
Or get sexted from the backseat:rofl:
 
Reading the web site content I'm reminded of a certain someone who had grand visions at a St. Louis area airport. :yikes:
 
Been tried before and will this most likely fail just like they did.
Corbin Sparrow, Zap Xebra two I can think of off the top of my head. Granted they are electric.

Personally I like the Idea but it is not really practical. Great as a 2nd or 3rd vehicle.
How does mom bring the kids to the soccer game, girl scouts.
 
More full disclosure. Back in the 70s, there was this company that made a trike called a "Tri-sport". I don't know the parent company but they came as a low slung sporty morotcycle/trike with bright red bodywork and an air cooled snowmobile engine in back with a centrifugal clutch.

They were so bad-azz that I had to have one. Not only did I get one, but I eventually had three of the darn things. The last of the breed, maybe around 75 had articulating rear suspension, and a modest windscreen. Yes, I licensed it for the street, yes I got pulled over every week or so, yes I got a lot of funny looks, and it was dangerous as hell - but man I had fun with that thing. Once I drove it from my house in San Diego all the way to Anaheim for some stupid reason. I prolly made 12 stops for gas and two stroke oil each way.

What's wrong with me? (don't answer that,, lol)
 
EdFred said:
OK, so a single person car gets 84mpg. But wait, you have a wife and 3 kids. Even your "gas hog" SUV with 18mpg is better overall when you figure mpg/person.

And for the single guy, how am I supposed to pick up women with this?
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Trailer????
 
EdFred said:
Yeah, well there are certain things that can't be done in a tandem seating configuration. It's a non starter. At least on a bike you can get a reach around.
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You do know what you are talking about requires you to talk to girls don't ya? :stir:



-VanDy
 
I get 60mpg+ in my 2000 Honda Insight. And I can take a passenger and baggage.
 
e.pie said:
I get 60mpg+ in my 2000 Honda Insight. And I can take a passenger and baggage.
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Dig into the website a bit. The Elio also carries a passenger and some baggage, however, the baggage is much less. Silly Honda, they could have achieved so much more for so much less money had they spoken to their motorcycle division first.;)
 
Dav8or said:
Dig into the website a bit. The Elio also carries a passenger and some baggage, however, the baggage is much less. Silly Honda, they could have achieved so much more for so much less money had they spoken to their motorcycle division first.;)
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Honda was getting 50 mpg out of the small engined CRX in 1992, probably more room then an Insight. But who wins with cheap efficient cars...
 
The price is much cheaper than the many enclosed trikes you see in Europe. Most importantly, they have air conditioning! Don't think that's important?

Get in your non-air conditioned bubble canopy airplane, taxi around on the Hondo Airport ramp for an hour in August. Then we'll talk.
 
e.pie said:
I get 60mpg+ in my 2000 Honda Insight. And I can take a passenger and baggage.
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'14(new) Insight: ~$20k, rated for 41 city, 44 hwy. So, almost triple the price, and about half the MPG. But - you do get another wheel in back. :yes:
 
docmirror said:
'14(new) Insight: ~$20k, rated for 41 city, 44 hwy. So, almost triple the price, and about half the MPG. But - you do get another wheel in back. :yes:
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Yes the "new" insight does not really look like the original. They changed the car into something that will sell here.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Honda was getting 50 mpg out of the small engined CRX in 1992, probably more room then an Insight. But who wins with cheap efficient cars...
Click to expand...

That too, the CRX was a smidge bigger inside, but not by much.
 
JimNtexas said:
The price is much cheaper than the many enclosed trikes you see in Europe. Most importantly, they have air conditioning! Don't think that's important?

Get in your non-air conditioned bubble canopy airplane, taxi around on the Hondo Airport ramp for an hour in August. Then we'll talk.
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Remember- This price is made up. Nobody is going to buy this thing for this price. It is a swindle. Do not put a deposit on this thing or you will hate yourself later.

For comparison, the Can Am Spyder-

2013_Can-Am_Spyder_RT_Limited_426195_i0.jpg


This is a real vehicle made in North America that you can buy right now. Notice the price. This vehicle has way less content than what is being offered by the Elio site. Is BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products, maker of the Can Am) just too stupid to be able to efficiently manufacture things, or are they just ripping us off for a whopping $10,000 per vehicle?
 
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Dav8or said:
Remember- This price is made up. Nobody is going to buy this thing for this price. It is a swindle. Do not put a deposit on this thing or you will hate yourself later.

For comparison, the Can Am Spyder-

2013_Can-Am_Spyder_RT_Limited_426195_i0.jpg


This is a real vehicle made in North America that you can buy right now. Notice the price. This vehicle has way less content than what is being offered by the Elio site. Is BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products, maker of the Can Am) just too stupid to be able to efficiently manufacture things, or are they just ripping us off for a whopping $10,000 per vehicle?
Click to expand...

A small upstart lean efficient and driven company can produce products for less than a huge bureaucratic company of which Bombardier is. No hallways full of middle managers overseeing auditors who add nothing to the final product. I'm not saying I believe the price will stick, but I bet it can be built and sold for what they're claiming, until they have stockholders to answer to. Especially if they drop a Chinese built Honda knock off engine in there.
 
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