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You can register using your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account, just click here.Lots of people would. Since the Elio was never realistic with it's cost, it fooled people into thinking it could be sold for that. So instead, people went and bought was was actually available for a price that is realistic. Elio might as well told everyone that it could be sold for $5K because it's price was never going to work at what they offeredat the time, plus the Elio had very little interest. It seemed like it had lots of interest in the community but outside of it, not the case. Investors figured it out as Paul just had a pipe dream that was never going to work.
"the Elio was never realistic with it's cost" I tend to agree with that. I think that if it were priced a thousand or two more there would still have been a lot of interest. "the Elio had very little interest.". I can't agree with that. The thousands who placed a deposit represent only a small percent of those with "interest". There were countless others who adopted a "wait and see" attitude and while they liked the concept, did not want to commit their money into a car they had not seen or driven. After production started and Elios began to appear on the streets many of these people would have become buyers. Also, there are those who simply never heard of the Elio, but when they started seeing them many would have not only been interested but buyers. In my view, for what it's worth, the Elio "could" have been successful if managed properly. What a damn shame!
Paul Elio disagrees with you on just getting them out on the road and they will sell themselves. Your business plan was discussed here about a million times and yet, Paul disagreed with the people here. How do I know? Elio Motors was to set up 120 showrooms. Those were to experience the Elio, order one and then pick it up. On the other hand, he could have reduced the budget and forgot all of that and just went with your plan. Yet he never did no matter how many people here told him to change.
There were a few companies willing to partner with Elio, but Paul could not give up any control. It showed that if he hadn't tried to do it by himself then maybe an Elio-like vehicle could have been made. Vanity got the better of him.
You're right! Paul is the main reason it failed. Just think what might have happened it early on he had partnered with Tesla for an electric model or, instead of wasting millions on new engine development, he had simply bought engines from Ford.
Would they?
Of course none of us know the answer to that for sure, but we can speculate. Either he learned what he was trying to find out about the interest and demand; lost interest or financing; or maybe got cross wise with the sweet and kindly Chinese government. Who can say? I would bet money we don't hear from him again. It was all BS.