Elio Erks Me To No End

[Dusty921]

The single most important thing to remember in all this "banter" is that,
regardless of our want's, EM is light years ahead in transparency. No
other vehicle manufacturer would ever dream of being this forthright
with the dissemination of their internal workings. That being said, I'm
getting a little antsy to hear the motor run myself.

There's my shot of Koolaid for today, followed by a reality back.

 

[Ekh]

Has anyone heard a date the decision will be made on the gov't loan second level? At least that would be a target to aim for.

Nobody knows -- including the gov't!

 

[WilliamH]

Nobody knows -- including the gov't!

It was on Lois Lerner's hard drive.

 

[Dusty921]

It was on Lois Lerner's hard drive.

Excellent!!!

 

[cortsdad2]

What EM knows, that most of us should know however many of us do not appear to be fully processing, is that there is a big difference in the PR and marketing involved in selling the Elio Motors concept to potential reservation holders and the PR and marketing involved in selling a final product to consumers. By their own admission EM's marketing strategy, up until now and like continuing until about the time they have everything lined up for production, is focused on selling EM as a concept to people who understand the risks yet are willing to fund reservations anyhow.

As has been discussed in various marketing threads on this forum over time we have even heard EM define their target marketing audience right now as older, affluent, primarily male, and with an emphasis on current and former motorcycle riders. This demonstrates that EM clearly understands where their marketing needs to be aimed right now. EM is also fully aware of the fact that they will need to shift their marketing effort to new target groups when they are ready to sell the final product to retail customers.

It also helps to keep in mind that while EM has goals and projections they have shared for this vehicle they have never actually guaranteed they would be able to deliver on any of these things. The fact of the matter is that the reservation agreement does not even guarantee EM will provide the reservation holder with a vehicle let alone promise any details about the vehicle nor when any vehicles will be available to purchase.

Failure to fully appreciate the full ramifications of these key points is what I see as the major cause of disappointment being expressed among the EM followers at this time.

I'm a long time Harley rider/owner. In my mind, the Elio will be a far SAFER ride than any motorcycle! I may even sell my Harley after I get the Elio. I think that many non motorcycle riders are afraid of the Elio just because of it's size which to them is so much smaller than what they are accustom to and those sentiments are expressed by all the "rolling coffin" comments on Facebook... I suspect that there is a larger percentage of motorcycle riders/owners in the Elio supporters group than in the general public. Just the thought of riding a motorcycle scares a lot of people so Elio Motors needs to rely on we "bikers" in getting this thing off the ground. After Elio starts being seen on the roads, I think, non-bikers will become more accepting of this radical new vehicle and sales will respond accordingly. What about a new group poll to see what percentage of "bikers" there are in this group?

 

[cortsdad2]

Good point. VW advertised the Jetta TDI I used to have would get 45 mpg highway, that's what's on the sticker. I always used to tell the guys at the shop when I went in for service I was going to complain about false advertising because I was actually getting 47 to 53mpg highway when I was driving to Boston weekly. Of course now I have my wife's old V70 waiting for my Elio.

I can't wait to see what MPG really can be achieved by the Elio. Drivers have VERY different driving styles and I'm sure that no matter what Elio ends up rating the the MPG's at... there will be drivers that can regularly DO BETTER!

 

[Jeff Miller]

I'm a long time Harley rider/owner. In my mind, the Elio will be a far SAFER ride than any motorcycle! I may even sell my Harley after I get the Elio. I think that many non motorcycle riders are afraid of the Elio just because of it's size which to them is so much smaller than what they are accustom to and those sentiments are expressed by all the "rolling coffin" comments on Facebook... I suspect that there is a larger percentage of motorcycle riders/owners in the Elio supporters group than in the general public. Just the thought of riding a motorcycle scares a lot of people so Elio Motors needs to rely on we "bikers" in getting this thing off the ground. After Elio starts being seen on the roads, I think, non-bikers will become more accepting of this radical new vehicle and sales will respond accordingly. What about a new group poll to see what percentage of "bikers" there are in this group?

There is a poll in "General Discussions". Hopefully this is the link to it: http://www.elioowners.com/threads/poll-are-you-or-have-you-ever-been-a-motorcycle-rider.733/

 

[Smitty901]

I'm a long time Harley rider/owner. In my mind, the Elio will be a far SAFER ride than any motorcycle! I may even sell my Harley after I get the Elio. I think that many non motorcycle riders are afraid of the Elio just because of it's size which to them is so much smaller than what they are accustom to and those sentiments are expressed by all the "rolling coffin" comments on Facebook... I suspect that there is a larger percentage of motorcycle riders/owners in the Elio supporters group than in the general public. Just the thought of riding a motorcycle scares a lot of people so Elio Motors needs to rely on we "bikers" in getting this thing off the ground. After Elio starts being seen on the roads, I think, non-bikers will become more accepting of this radical new vehicle and sales will respond accordingly. What about a new group poll to see what percentage of "bikers" there are in this group?

The EKIO will never replace either of the Harleys . What it will do is cause my car to sit more during times I can not ride the Harleys .
I will use the ELIO if it ever shows up just as PE said as a And vehicle not a replacement.

 

[wizard of ahs]

That's my one and only issue with Paul Elio and Elio Motors and as a result they lost their credibility after 6 years as an Elio groupie.

I think funding may very well happen. I don't believe with the current extension they have an option for another delay, so 2016 seems to be the final target deadline for production to start. The clock is ticking.

Only time will tell !

 

[RUCRAYZE]

Is that some spicy cereal, brah?

Si! -mucho visto bueno!