July 31st, 2017 - Tick Tock...

[pistonboy]

They are made by a SAIC-GM partnership.

The article says something about "air filtering" being available on the premium varient. Hmmm.

Here's an eye-popping ICE crossover starting at $7951 USD by the same SAIC-GM partnership.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2017/02/baojun-510-launches-in-chinas-hot-crossover-market/

The competition is coming and making fast progress . . . even if Paul is not.

At the rate EM is progressing, these Chinese vehicles will be rolling off the ship while PE is still looking for money.

 

[Elio Amazed]

The price in USD is the equivalent of what the vehicle costs in China.

Obviously. Keep in mind it's already essentially a GM product.

A new, no-frills Nano will come to the U.S. within three years, Tata boss Ratan Tata tells "
https://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2012/10/15/tata-nano-ratan/1633903/

And the Elio was supposed to have been in production in 2014.
I'll believe it about the Nano when I see it.

 

[slinches]

They are made by a SAIC-GM partnership.

The article says something about "air filtering" being available on the premium varient. Hmmm.

Here's an eye-popping ICE crossover starting at $7951 USD by the same SAIC-GM partnership.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2017/02/baojun-510-launches-in-chinas-hot-crossover-market/

Have you looked at the engine bay picture in that linked article?

It has unprotected foam insulation on the engine side of the firewall. I don't think safety or durability were near the top of their design priorities.

On the upside, the bay layout looks pretty clean and accessible without the need for all of those emissions control systems.

 

[Elio Amazed]

Have you looked at the engine bay picture in that linked article?

It has unprotected foam insulation on the engine side of the firewall. I don't think safety or durability were near the top of their design priorities.

On the upside, the bay layout looks pretty clean and accessible without the need for all of those emissions control systems.

And you presume to know the exact fire-resistant (or not) rating/properties of that particular insulation?
BTW, have you seen what's exposed on the interior of the hoods in some of the newer vehicles?

 

[slinches]

I know how fire resistant it is when it's retaining a bunch of sprayed fuel from a leaky line.

 

[Elio Amazed]

Closed-cell foam? Never mind. You seem to have all the up-to-date tech knowledge.

 

[slinches]

I didn't say it would absorb it. I just said it would retain it, as in capture, pool, trap or otherwise hold it.

Even if it doesn't catch fire, it won't last long. I doubt it would last more than a year or two with the exposure to the temps, road grime and vibrations present in an engine bay.

 

[Rob Croson]

The price in USD is the equivalent of what the vehicle costs in China.
Of course that does not mean they will be sold in the US for that price. The US has much more stringent safety standards it must meet.
Perhaps this is a practice run for a very similar vehicle targeted for the US.

The price quoted by that article also includes local and government incentives. Their equivalent of the tax breaks that you get in the US for buying an electric car. I have to wonder how much that incentive is, and thus what the true price is. Then add on the cost of shipping them to the US, import taxes, the cost of the dealership network, and the dealership profit on top of all that. By the time you get it onto a showroom floor, you can bet the sticker price will be a hell of a lot more than $5,300. And that doesn't include any additional design changes required to make it street legal in the US.

 

[pistonboy]

Obviously. Keep in mind it's already essentially a GM product.
And the Elio was supposed to have been in production in 2014.
I'll believe it about the Nano when I see it.

They failed the European tests with flying colors.

Yes. I agree. The fact it is from a company partially made up of GM is significant. I suspect this is a "practice" vehicle with the ultimate goal of making one for sale in the US.

 

[3wheelin]

The price quoted by that article also includes local and government incentives. Their equivalent of the tax breaks that you get in the US for buying an electric car. I have to wonder how much that incentive is, and thus what the true price is. Then add on the cost of shipping them to the US, import taxes, the cost of the dealership network, and the dealership profit on top of all that. By the time you get it onto a showroom floor, you can bet the sticker price will be a hell of a lot more than $5,300. And that doesn't include any additional design changes required to make it street legal in the US.

The price quoted by that article also includes local and government incentives. Their equivalent of the tax breaks that you get in the US for buying an electric car. I have to wonder how much that incentive is, and thus what the true price is. Then add on the cost of shipping them to the US, import taxes, the cost of the dealership network, and the dealership profit on top of all that. By the time you get it onto a showroom floor, you can bet the sticker price will be a hell of a lot more than $5,300. And that doesn't include any additional design changes required to make it street legal in the US.

If I were Paul, I'll take my chances and talk to SAIC-GM to finance the ELIO. It almost make sense, they would save a lot of money since EM did a lot of the hard work even though it's still half baked, they can finance it all the way to production or produce it from their home base- China, I don't care just get it done! Or convert it to EV, that'll work too. But that's just me.