Hi all,
I don't post or follow too closely anymore so apologies in advance for jumping in. But, from a birds eye view, it is interesting that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Change:
- Elio bespoke engine up and running in the P5 (despite naysayers telling all that no real engine exists).
- The P5 itself. Honestly a very different vehicle from P4. The amount of work that undoubtedly went into this would boggle the mind.
- Elio goes public and raises all (and more) of its target.
- Add to the list. it goes on...
Same:
- Production Delays. And guess what? Yes, there will be more.
- Trolls; but why? At this point no one really has a legitimate complaint. If you did not expect what we currently have it is 100% your fault for having unrealistic expectations, even regarding the production schedule. There will undoubtedly be further setbacks. IMO here is what you should expect;
- MSRP price hikes
- Lower than expected MPG (either city or highway)
- Safety ratings not quite what you wanted
- Wrong this, that, or the other.
- Overzealous supporters. Sorry folks, but this bothers me just as much as the trolls and naysayers. If, just if there is a huge negative development it will be the trolls and naysayers who will bring it to our attention first. Just saying. That doesn't mean we should feed them, but at the same time let's not jump on their back for every little slightly negative post. But yeah, I get it. It is tiring defending some of the stuff they choose to complain about; where does it come from? I guess that's why I don't post often... easier to ignore most of them that way.
And the 'Same' list goes on as well.
When I first joined this site people were generally enthusiastic about elio. The most enthusiastic of us had always tempered our expectations with the realities of what we were getting into. What we got into and what we continue to support has not changed since I first saw the Elio other than it is taking a little longer than
I (emphasis on I) would have hoped. But I knew from day one that this was going to take longer than I'd like, so it is just fine.
Pull your expectations back a bit folks, temper your enthusiasm as well. Just sit back, enjoy the ride. Elio has come a long way. There is no way anyone can deny the progress the team has made if they have any knowledge about how long it takes to change just tiny things, especially by some of the suppliers involved. If you think you can, well, you just don't know how things work with these large corporations I'm afraid (and that includes Elio in certain respects). The suppliers and partners are likely the main issue with delays, but that's the poison you have to take when you're in no position to gamble... the big guys call many of the shots and supply the parts and engineering resources on their terms. Elio can't say a thing about it; If they even
think elio threw them under the bus, they will walk. That's just one Razor edge elio balances on on a daily basis. But overall the progress is very good. I'm impressed.
Happy New Year all. Lets all look forward to a new Elio in 2016. Or 2017, or 2018...