Loss Of Luster

[WilliamH]

Plan A and Plan B
Plan A calls for Elio to begin production in first half of 2016.
Since my $100 all in would probably put me late in 2016, my '11 F150 will be paid for so I'll just stash the payment money 'till Elio asks me what options I want then drive to Shreveport and pick up my Elio. The new F150 will come in '18.
Plan B says a negative event happens at Elio and there is a further delay. I'll order a '17 F150 in April '17 and be ready to go on my Elio whenever.
I'm hoping for Plan A, but I always like to have a fall back.

 

[Inigo93]

We sit on the sideline, wave our flags and hope for a touch down.
We are enjoying the game but can't call the plays.

Interesting comparison and I think - with a bit of modification - it describes my position on the Elio these days. I'll go with....

We sit on the sideline, wave our flags and cheer our team on. Our team is down by 5 points. It's 4th and 16 on our own 20 yard line with under 10 seconds to play. We know miracles happen so we continue to hope, but deep in our heart we know that they call them "miracles" for a reason. We hope for that Hail Mary even as we start walking to the parking lot to beat traffic....

 

[Mike W]

We sit on the sideline, wave our flags and hope for a touch down.
We are enjoying the game but can't call the plays.

Since when do the spectators who pay to get into the game get to do anything else? We got our tickets now we're cheering our team one through thick or thin. Besides, I wouldn't want to be the coach in this game!! The real kicker, I think, is not knowing the score and only having a vague idea of how much time is left in the game. Goooo Elio! Who's ahead anyway??

 

[Smitty901]

ELIO is losing it's moment in time . If it does not come up with some great positive news soon. It will be a memory to a hand full of people and not much more.

 

[jetpack54]

Just some thoughts. Elio has commented several times that Comau already knows how to set up the plant and they will only need about 3 months lead time before the start of production to set it all up. I'd agree that it is not in bold print on the Elio Motors website where they are at in funding - though I don't see that with GM either, and they just went through bankruptcy, or any other company. I would not agree that the reservation contract doesn't indicate that the price may change at any time without notice e.g.
6. Purchase Price
Base vehicle and/or option pricing may not be available at the time of your reservation and, if pricing is available, it is subject to change until agreed upon in an executed Purchase Agreement.

From what you're saying, If Comau is to be believed that they can set up the plant in 3 months time then there's nothing to worry even if EM don't get the funding approved until the end of this year right?
Regarding the funding issue, not only it's not in bold print John, it's not even there!! But welcome to business 101, you've just learned one of the most important element in running a business- APPEARANCE! Yap, they'll welcome all good reviews, ratings, making it all appear that business is good, and you're setting in your lazy chair thinking you're stock is doing good and making money and then WHAM, they hit you with bankruptcy, and you're left trying to figure out what happen and by then, you lose your house or your kids don't go to college! We all want to think that EM is more forthcoming, more transparent but in the end, like you said, they can be just like GM, or any other company!
Purchase price- I'm all for EM keeping their promise of the base price of $6,800! I still want to believe it even though we all know that GOOD QUALITY comes with a price! And the longer it takes for EM to produce, the higher the price of components, parts and materials will be! If I'm in business supplying bolts, will it be wise for me to say, "go ahead Paul, I'll keep the price of $0.50 per bolt until you're ready to order, no matter how long it takes"!! Hell no!
Again my comments are in anyway meant to diminished anybody's expectation of their ELIO, after all, I'm 1K deep in this as others are.

 

[John Painter]

From what you're saying, If Comau is to be believed that they can set up the plant in 3 months time then there's nothing to worry even if EM don't get the funding approved until the end of this year right?
Regarding the funding issue, not only it's not in bold print John, it's not even there!! But welcome to business 101, you've just learned one of the most important element in running a business- APPEARANCE! Yap, they'll welcome all good reviews, ratings, making it all appear that business is good, and you're setting in your lazy chair thinking you're stock is doing good and making money and then WHAM, they hit you with bankruptcy, and you're left trying to figure out what happen and by then, you lose your house or your kids don't go to college! We all want to think that EM is more forthcoming, more transparent but in the end, like you said, they can be just like GM, or any other company!
Purchase price- I'm all for EM keeping their promise of the base price of $6,800! I still want to believe it even though we all know that GOOD QUALITY comes with a price! And the longer it takes for EM to produce, the higher the price of components, parts and materials will be! If I'm in business supplying bolts, will it be wise for me to say, "go ahead Paul, I'll keep the price of $0.50 per bolt until you're ready to order, no matter how long it takes"!! Hell no!
Again my comments are in anyway meant to diminished anybody's expectation of their ELIO, after all, I'm 1K deep in this as others are.

I'm not sure what Elio, or any business for that matter, would get out of advertising conspicuously on their web site, their financial status versus as you point out, good reviews, ratings, ie marketing stuff. If it were my business, I'd probably do the same thing. I'm sure a lot of people prior to the collapse of Bear Stearns were of the opinion nothing could be safer than asset backed securities, it was all bundled in nice, neat packages for anyone to see plain as day.

There is definitely risk to getting involved with Elio Motors, or at least that's what I took it as when I looked at the "Reservation Agreement" the first time when I was getting ready to pay for my reservation and read "This Agreement does not constitute an agreement for the sale of a vehicle and does not lock in pricing, a production slot, or an estimated delivery date. You are under no obligation to purchase a vehicle from us, and we are under no obligation to supply you with a vehicle." I read that, and along with the rest of what I read, was ok with going "all in" for something I thought was both a good idea and if it does get built I can get in on the ground floor. That's not to say Elio might not flop, it might.

Regarding parts, I'm not sure that prices would go up any more than they do for electronics, household supplies, clothing and so on which have all seen drops in prices over time. I think the primary reason we see increases in vehicles is partly legacy costs, but also because these are mature markets and one of the best ways manufacturers have to make money is by adding stuff, granted some of the "stuff" is for safety, but if your vehicle does not really need power steering, four wheels, and spring loaded hood latches, etc, etc, etc..... well I'm ok omitting those things if the savings gets passed along to me.

 

[Rickb]

A longer wait won't result in increased pricing for off the shelf parts. EM's Parts Supplier PARTNERS will be happy to supply large quantities of bolts at a reasonable price point. The long wait is more likely to result in no purchase orders for bolts and any other component parts.

Is the APPEARANCE that EM is in a good place at the moment? I believe the plant can be set up in 3 months, but only after prototypes are built, tested, and the hiring process is underway.

How many months are required to build and test prototypes before the 3 month factory tool up? The good news is EM said long ago that the first prototype build to roll out would be used for factory tooling. Perhaps EM is in the process of secretly building one as we post.

 

[nickskeys]

In any new business there is initial excitement and then the hard work begins. For many the excitement of the Elio has faded. Yesterday, today and the immediate future the work in the trenches has begun in earnest at Elio Motors.

Don't lose sight of the final prize. Hang in there. It's tough to change the complexion of the automotive industry, that has a history of over 100 years, overnight.

My view from the cheap seats.

PS. The Ohio group is having a meeting on May 23rd in Columbus. Come join us. Contact myself or LillyMae to make a reservation.

We in the cheap seats are running out of money to even keep our cheap seats! I hope they don't set production back yet again in 2016 to sometime a year later.

 

[satx]

My guess is that even if first deliveries are 30 June 2016, many people here won't get one until MANY months later, even into 2017.

 

[Chris F]

How do you figure that? The $1K all-ins are about 14K, based on what I heard (1/3 of all reservations). Assuming 250 per day, 1,250 a week, that's 11 weeks. If the first delivery is June 30, 2016, it looks like the end of September for all the "Place in Line" Reservation holders to date. If you don't have money at risk, why should you care?