The Elio Automatic Transmission

[Neal]

JMO............but I don't view the Elio store person as the typical auto dealership salesperson. Probably the closest
auto comparison are the Saturn folks (I know they failed but not due to the model per se. http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/08/saturn-gm-innovation-leadership-managing-failure.html ) Elio store people are employed by the "Company" to be like "customer service" personal on
salary not commission. There may well be an incentive/bonus program put in place but structured on customer satisfaction that the
Elio purchased met the customers needs w/surveys & follow up, etc. without pressure to add all the do das.........


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I agree with that analogy. I purchased a Saturn back in the day. One of the best car buying experiences I've had. No haggling, no pressure. Was nice.

 

[Kuda]

I agree with that analogy. I purchased a Saturn back in the day. One of the best car buying experiences I've had. No haggling, no pressure. Was nice.

 

[zelio]

JMO............but I don't view the Elio store person as the typical auto dealership salesperson. Probably the closest
auto comparison are the Saturn folks (I know they failed but not due to the model per se. http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/08/saturn-gm-innovation-leadership-managing-failure.html ) Elio store people are employed by the "Company" to be like "customer service" personal on
salary not commission. There may well be an incentive/bonus program put in place but structured on customer satisfaction that the
Elio purchased met the customers needs w/surveys & follow up, etc. without pressure to add all the do das.........


View attachment 1037

That is more like the impression I get from EM website. The way other explanations are going simply don't do it for me. At 72 I have had way too many bad experiences with automobile salesmen taking advantage of me. Paul Elio has promised a better system and I am counting on him to stick with that promise. I want the Elio very much but I do not want pressure of any kind influencing my decisions. :-) Z

 

[zelio]

I agree with that analogy. I purchased a Saturn back in the day. One of the best car buying experiences I've had. No haggling, no pressure. Was nice.

A friend of mine bought a Saturn new in the SF Bay Area and was thrilled with the experience. It broke her heart when Saturn went out of business because she had hoped to replace it with another new Saturn when she needed to. Those kinds of experiences make a lasting impression just like the bad ones do. :-) Z

 

[Kuda]

That is more like the impression I get from EM website. The way other explanations are going simply don't do it for me. At 72 I have had way too many bad experiences with automobile salesmen taking advantage of me. Paul Elio has promised a better system and I am counting on him to stick with that promise. I want the Elio very much but I do not want pressure of any kind influencing my decisions. Z

The other factor that bodes well for Elio is that they own their own stores. These are not dealerships in the traditional sense. More like Sears or Monkey Wards, or Jaques Ce Pennyaa. Instead of a catalog you use a website or a Kiosk at the store to fulfill your order..................

 

[DBN477]

When a car is shown has nothing to do with what stage of development it is as prototypes are routinely presented. Amazingly the industry veterans at Elio Motors have also chosen to emulate this industry standard pattern by building and showing off prototype vehicles. Less than a year from pre-production build to final assembly is very common today as most of the design process takes place using computer simulations to save money and the pre-production process is just used for detail tweaking and systems programming which is exactly what Elio Motors is also doing.

Flagship sports cars like the Corvette and Mustang are well known to take longer to develop due to the very specific requirements for these vehicles yet taking the 2015 Mustang example you used if you actually read about the new mustang development you will quickly find out that the first pre-production models were not even completed until May 2013. This gave them only one year before everything had to be ready for the factory to be reconfigured for production this summer. If a high performance model of a much more complex vehicle can be made production ready in this time period I doubt Elio Motors will have a problem with a very simply designed sub-compact vehicle.

I understand how it works, I watch the shows, I read the car magazines, watch the shows about the business side of the autombile industry, I have been to Japan JUST for the auto show, I drove 10 hours to New York just to attend auto show, after I attended, I got in car and drove home (another 10 hours). I go to car museums, attend concours events. Been on automobile factory tours, car shows. Been in the Roush facility during the development of the GT. Could you be more condescending next time? .....................and the Mustang they showed(November 2013) was the final exterior design......and the only engines available at release are already in production.How's that Elio funding? Got $55m, need $200m. But that's only according to Paul Elio's most recent article. Oh and how's that computer simulation? How did they not know the original design would not get 84mpg? If their computer simulation is so great?

 

[DBN477]

I've always whined about why someone can't bring back a Sprint-like vehicle when it had Prius-like economy...

There's always the Chevrolet Spark. I got 45mpg. I liked the car so much, after 52 weeks of ownership I got rid of it. A condenser problem, it was fixed correctly and required only 1 visit to dealership.. I just didn't like car

 

[outsydthebox]

The problem is that these "options" have to be price competitive. With so few "factory" options available, once you get beyond color, transmission choice, and maybe cruise control, there's nothing that can't be had in the aftermarket. The radio upgrade is going to face a vast amount of competition from every stereo shop in the country. Sunroofs, leather upholstery, and wraps, ditto - trim shops are going to see this as a real business opportunity. If it can be tacked on to the vehicle after it rolls off the assembly line, there is eventually going to be plenty of competition for that business. The beauty of this is that owners can "upgrade" their Elio over time, rather than pay it all up front. Dealers are going to be hard-pressed to compete if they are giving more than minimal "bonuses" for add-ons.

Well said.
As a past SEMA member,and aftermarket restyler, I have been a part of it since '95. But is also amazes me how many folks are willing to pay for the convenience. Most of us could grow our own tomatoes, but we don't, it's easier (and more expensive) to just buy them. It is also much easier to just "roll" these extras into your financing. I have also NEVER bought a new car, so what I say next is only what I have heard. If it is a business purchase, the cost of the vehicle can be depreciated, but accessories added after purchase cannot. (?) Anyway, many are willing to pay for the convenience, and others would do it themselves, IF they KNOW where to get what they want. We also have to realize how our own time is best spent. Example: I know how to tint windows, but the "DAY" that it takes me to do my own windows, only takes the local pro "1 hour!" I then have 7 hours left in my day to make way more than I have paid the pro.
On the other hand, I see the Elio crowd as pretty frugal, not buying this for business, but for the economy. And I hope they do their homework to find aftermarket installers do the extras, as you said, "over time" who can save them a bundle. cheers

 

[Ty]

Well said.
As a past SEMA member,and aftermarket restyler, I have been a part of it since '95. But is also amazes me how many folks are willing to pay for the convenience. Most of us could grow our own tomatoes, but we don't, it's easier (and more expensive) to just buy them. It is also much easier to just "roll" these extras into your financing. I have also NEVER bought a new car, so what I say next is only what I have heard. If it is a business purchase, the cost of the vehicle can be depreciated, but accessories added after purchase cannot. (?) Anyway, many are willing to pay for the convenience, and others would do it themselves, IF they KNOW where to get what they want. We also have to realize how our own time is best spent. Example: I know how to tint windows, but the "DAY" that it takes me to do my own windows, only takes the local pro "1 hour!" I then have 7 hours left in my day to make way more than I have paid the pro.
On the other hand, I see the Elio crowd as pretty frugal, not buying this for business, but for the economy. And I hope they do their homework to find aftermarket installers do the extras, as you said, "over time" who can save them a bundle. cheers

I concur with what you said with one caveat... and I'm not even sure I spelled that right! (nope, so I fixed it.. LOL) I make much more an hour than I would have paid to tint my windows (and a professional would probably have done a better job) but I wanted to do it myself and since I didn't have anything else to do this past weekend first thing in the mornings when it was still cool out, I did just that. I'll also do my own oil changes, built some furniture, and, of course, do my own home improvement things. I just like to do stuff rather than have someone else doing it. When I bought my truck, for instance, I made sure I got the Navigation, heated/cooled seats, etc. not because it was cheaper from the dealer but in my experience some things just work better when it's all integrated correctly. Plus, those seats and Nav are all included in my purchase price which raises my payment, I know. And I know that in the long run, I'll pay even more for them. BUT, it's much easier to sell it to the wife than it is to say "Honey, I NEED this $400 radio upgrade now." Anyway, my point? Um... Oh, yeah... Some of us will opt for the factory options even if they are more expensive because they are a perfect fit/color/size and they work correctly with the car... plus, that navigation I have is under warranty. No, I've never had one go bad... Yes, static maps suck and an auto-updated version a-la Google Maps would be nice... Anyway, I've rambled enough. Well, probably too much.

 

[Lil4X]

Well said.
. . . We also have to realize how our own time is best spent. Example: I know how to tint windows, but the "DAY" that it takes me to do my own windows, only takes the local pro "1 hour!" I then have 7 hours left in my day to make way more than I have paid the pro.
On the other hand, I see the Elio crowd as pretty frugal, not buying this for business, but for the economy. And I hope they do their homework to find aftermarket installers do the extras, as you said, "over time" who can save them a bundle. cheers

I agree - I usually hire someone who knows what they are doing to do the tricky stuff, figuring I'll go do what I do best then from those proceeds, hire someone else to do what HE does best. Win-win. By separating the DIY tasks into weekend jobs, I can spread the costs (and the fun) over several months, as needed.

The Elio is not only frugal, but by design, rather simple. I've already decided to make a few modifications to the wiring harness to hardwire the GPS and the charging pad for my phone and provide a couple of ports for my backseater for a DVD player, laptop, and her phone (she's spoiled you know, panics when her phone battery gets below 80%).