• Welcome to Elio Owners! Join today, registration is easy!

    You can register using your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account, just click here.

Poll For Increased North American Content

How much would you pay for increased NA content from 90% to 95%?

  • $0 -- 90% is plenty

    Votes: 24 66.7%
  • $100 - $500 -- I want to help out a little

    Votes: 5 13.9%
  • $500 - $1,000 -- We need the jobs!

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • $1,000+ -- My pockets and heart hurt being so full

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • NA -- I would only pay extra if the additional content was US only

    Votes: 5 13.9%

  • Total voters
    36

RSchneider

Elio Addict
Joined
Jan 6, 2017
Messages
2,792
Reaction score
1,912
Location
Hellertown, PA
Some VW Mexico and US info:

The VW plant in Mexico is in Puebla and has been in use since 1964. Since 1994, just about every Golf, Jetta and New Beetle in the US came from that plant. The new 2018 Tiguan will be built there too. If you go to a VW dealer later this year, the only VW's made outside of the NAFTA region for the US are the Touareg (Slovakia) and CC (Germany) (both of these constitute around 1% of US VW sales).

There is a VW plant in Chattanooga. It's been making the Passat for NAFTA countries, South Korea and the Middle East since 2012. Amazingly, the Chattanooga Passat has 85% North American content (not to be confused with American content). That plant has gone through an expansion in 2016 and now makes the brand new Atlas which will be for every market except for China (they have their own plant).

Since Mexican VW's showed up here in 1994, I really haven't heard of too many quality control problems. There were a few in early 1994 but after that, if people have complaints, it's not because they were made in Mexico. Usually it's because of typical German engineering where they jump the gun and make something too complicated early on and then you pay the price down the road. As of today, there are plenty of 15-20 year old VW's still on the road, so they can't be that bad.

Here's something interesting. A 1997 VW Passat (made in Germany) had an MSRP of $21,890. A 2017 VW Passat (made in America and 85% NA content) has a MSRP of $22,440. Accounting for inflation, that 1997 Passat would cost $32,917 today but the 2017 Passat would have cost $14,922 back then.

If VW can hit 85% for a plant in the US, it is completely doable for Elio to hit 90% North American Content. Even if Elio had to reduce to 85%, I don't see that as a deal breaker for anyone. Also, the Atlas production line started doing test runs since mid December 2016. Here we are 4 months later and you still can't buy one. It's scheduled to be released in May 2017. It just gives a good timeline as to what an experienced car manufacturer has to do from when the production line is operational until the vehicle is ready for the general public.
 

Rob Croson

Elio Addict
Joined
Apr 28, 2015
Messages
1,384
Reaction score
2,279
Location
Ohio
Ford Transits are made in Turkey, shipped to NJ, stripped and the interiors sent back to Turkey to be put in the next one, then converted to the delivery vehicles you see today. (There is an import ban on small trucks).
The interiors are not reused. The are actually shredded and recycled.

This is not done to circumvent a shipping ban, but to circumvent an exorbitant tax rate that is vigorously supported by the labor unions. It's a 25% import tax rate for light duty trucks. With the seats installed they are imported as passenger vehicles and taxed at a mere 2.5% rate. For the full story, check the Wikipedia article on the Chicken Tax. (Yes, it really is known as the Chicken Tax for historical reasons. Read the article.)
 

Hog

Elio Addict
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Messages
535
Reaction score
967
Location
somewhere deep underground in the NE US
Yes, I was simplifying my comment, it is to avoid the import tariff, but I was trying to stay out of the weeds. As for the "shredding", well yes, that is the way it is supposed to work... and yes, other vehicles do the same, not just in the automotive field. Now ifthey would just sneak in the Chevy Ute this way, I would be happy.
 

Coss

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
11,100
Reaction score
16,396
Location
Battle Ground WA
Yup, too bad, there is definitely a market, especially with the demise of the Ford Ranger and the Chevy S10. I had a Subaru Brat as well which was pretty cool.
The S10 is back, under a different name and a little bigger, same with the Ranger; the US market was hurting so they brought back those two under different names and slightly bigger sizes.
The S10 is back under the name Colorado (yes, the Colorado was here before, they took it out of the market, but they are bringing it back this year)
The Ranger will be back in 2019 they had it as a prototype at the Detroit Auto Show (you can see it here )
And Subaru took the Brat out of the lineup, but replaced it with the Baja and that only lasted from 2003 till 2013? They never came up with a successor to it.
 

Jelio

Elio Addict
Joined
Jul 5, 2014
Messages
124
Reaction score
312
Location
Chapman, Kansas
I just want the da#n car, bike, auto cycle! You guys have been great to keep this going, but I am now going with whomever comes out first (not the Solo). I don't really care for an electric but 200 miles from the Sondors will be good enough for mileage at my age. Plus I like the look. If Sondors can't deliver then I will pray for the miracle that it will take to get Elios built.
 
Top Bottom