But -- stop and think -- the market value of the 65000 reserved cars is $420 million, not counting options. So if it costs $376 million to get rolling, they can STILL pay that back out of first year production (not that they would -- spread it out over 3 years so there's some working capital to use to build the biz.)
That's entirely misleading.
IF as you've said, they need $376
"to get rolling" (note that neither you nor they have said the $376M is to actually
finish 65,000 vehicles")...
No, they could only pay back $65M of that at the completion of 65k vehicles. And even if it is the case that the $376M
would finish 65k vehicles...
That's around 475M ($7300 x 65k) minus the amount of the all-ins that they've already spent and the bonuses they've already given.
So I'm not even sure the total yield would be $400M. I don't think even $376M is taking into account ongoing operating costs...
Once that assembly line starts producing Elios.
There's a difference between grief and outrage. I certainly understand the first feeling if the Elio doesn't make it. But there is zero evidence of ineptitude, greed, stupidity, corruption, fraud, or any malign intent. Elio is run by people who are sweating blood to make it work for all of us. Outrage just isn't appropriate.
Let me just give you what is handed down to the people engaged in my current business...
"This is a results-based income. There is no compensation for effort. Money is only earned when transactions are closed."
I am one that does not believe that there is zero evidence of ineptitude. And I believe that there is a reasonable level of responsibility involved when individuals use others' money in those individual's effort to achieve their goal. That said, I feel no outrage. Nor grief. Only a desire to see things...
and hope that others see things... as they really are.