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Naias 2017

raptor213

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excellent report, thanks for bringing it to the forum .... how would you describe your impression drawn from your time spent with the tour team as to the program's development ..?
Jermaine in his classic fashion was upbeat, optimistic, hopeful, and inspiring. I stood by the area for a while and could overhear him squash naysayers and critics with the Tour Team's canned responses without showing frustration or appearing as though he were bending the truth.

I will admit I did not prioritize stopping by the Elio booth, and walked around the Main Ecent floor with my son for 4+ hours beforehand. Unfortunately, Jerome and Pam Vassallo and any other big hitters had already called it a night and had retreated back to the hotel by the time we stopped by. They were the ones I was really hoping to speak with to get answers about funding sources, the ATVM loan application status, unified company intentions once the coveted 65,000 reservations is hit, an estimation of how many of those total reservations are Locked-In for the purposes of conveying solid market interest to the DoE, at what stage of development they intend on offering Ride & Drive options at Tour events, etc.

If the OHIO member group that plans on visiting NAIAS this Saturday happens to encounter Jerome and/or Pam, hopefully they could get answers to these questions. Bear in mind, any answer could prove meaningful, in that "no", "I don't know", "I'm not at liberty to say", etc all have their own significance.
 

raptor213

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And you said the frame they have on display is already outdated; and in photo's they have shown 3 additional frames; what happens to those? Are they simply scrapped? Or can they be reworked to match the current frame?

I could hypothesize, but it'd be mere speculation. Add this to the list of questions for the OHIO group to try and target.

My assumption was that the display chassis they've been touring with that's mounted to a dolly on wheels was likely known to be outdated at the time they dedicated it to display purposes only. Given the nature of a unibody frame/chassis, my guess is that making afterthought corrections to an otherwise completed structure could be compromising, especially given that structural integrity, shape rigidity, safety crumple zone behavior, and other aspects of a unibody architecture are finely related and intertwined. Could they torch off some pieces and weld them back on in slightly different positions? Sure, I suppose. But we all know and (I believe) appreciate that Elio Motors is methodical and would never consider doing a hack job for a deadline's sake.
 

Bookly

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Great report raptor... really enjoyed the info & your descriptions. People that can remember names like that have a magic sales tool - it always makes a positive & enduring impression.

The battery at rear works well - it also has the added benefit of taking the battery away from all the heat. Chevy's HHR has a rear battery (a family member has one) - I thought it was goofy at first but have realized it actually makes a lot of sense.

My first impression was that the 'Big 3' Detroit-area automakers may actually be more concerned by the Elio than any of us as observers previously estimated or predicted.
Because of a mini van poster? Is someone attracted to the Elio really going to switch to a $40,000+ van? The power of suggestion is letting your Elio faithful eyes see something that no one at Chrysler thought or intended. Allow yourself a second impression on that one.

But enough of that. That really was a helpful report.
 
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DikiJ

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Great report raptor... really enjoyed the info & your descriptions. People that can remember names like that have a magic sales tool - it always makes a positive & enduring impression.

The battery at rear works well - it also has the added benefit of taking the battery away from all the heat. Chevy's HHR has a rear battery (a family member has one) - I thought it was goofy at first but have realized it actually makes a lot of sense.


Because of a mini van poster? Is someone attracted to the Elio really going to switch to a $40,000+ van? The power of suggestion is letting you're Elio faithful eyes see something that no one at Chrysler thought or intended. Allow yourself a second impression on that one.

But enough of that. That really was a helpful report.
I have a Toyota Camry Hibred that has the battery in the trunk. I don't have any problem with that. It's actually rather convenient.
 

xtspode

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I could hypothesize, but it'd be mere speculation. Add this to the list of questions for the OHIO group to try and target.

My assumption was that the display chassis they've been touring with that's mounted to a dolly on wheels was likely known to be outdated at the time they dedicated it to display purposes only. Given the nature of a unibody frame/chassis, my guess is that making afterthought corrections to an otherwise completed structure could be compromising, especially given that structural integrity, shape rigidity, safety crumple zone behavior, and other aspects of a unibody architecture are finely related and intertwined. Could they torch off some pieces and weld them back on in slightly different positions? Sure, I suppose. But we all know and (I believe) appreciate that Elio Motors is methodical and would never consider doing a hack job for a deadline's sake.

I like your profile picture too. A guy who is proud of his fridge and the pictures that go on it. Says a lot I think.
 

Bikebrains

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Today is the fifth day of NAIAS so the reservation count has had time to experience a car show "bump". So once again I politely ask Elio to please update the reservation count more frequently. There, I have done it, I participated in an exercise in futility. That is the only exercise I am going to do today.
 

Bikebrains

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Bikebrains, you may want to contact Elio Motors directly about that if you expect action (or even a response). This site is not affiliated with the company.

EM contact details are here: https://www.eliomotors.com/find-us/#contact
"you may want to contact Elio Motors directly". Been there, done that twice. My comment reminded me of what I once saw happening in a viaduct under the Eisenhower Expressway in Chicago: a man was having an argument with the wall. The wall was winning because it did not move.
 
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