Waiting For The Elio Is Easier When You Are Unemployed

[Coss]

On their details page they list standard convenience features. These are the ones I think they have to dump:
A/C
6 way adjustable front seat
AM/FM stereo radio
Power windows and door locks
Cruise control
Trip computer
Interior light
Rear sear USB port
Hill Start assist

They've got to show they can make a profit or investors will never fund this thing. Charging for previously included features is the only way I think they can do it. Oh my puzzler is sore now....

Well, close,
The power windows and door lock is a cheap item, power is cheaper then the hand crank windows, Hyundai proved that.
the AM/FM stereo radio is another item that is a bargain basement item.
Trip computer?? That's built in to the speedo, no real cost savings there.
The rear seat is part of the wiring harness, it's pretty much a .20 cent item if that.
The interior light is another safety item that I believe you have to keep.

Now the cruise, the Hill Start assist, 6 way power front seat, and A/C I will agree with.
So what else do you pull off?

 

[W. WIllie]

I don't think the front seat was power, rather it was 6 way adjustable. ?

 

[Donnyboy]

So what else do you pull off?

The A/C and Hill Start are the most expensive items and would have to go. But let's see. I'd pull out the back seat, interior carpet, and fenders over the tires. It's closer to a motorcycle than car so you don't have to cover the tires. No big extra plate over the exhaust. Remember the first Dodge Viper? When you stepped out of that car you learned to take a big step or you'd burn your leg on the side. Same with the Elio. Want protection....ePlus. Go with the lowest cost tire possible. Other tire options available through ePlus. Do the windows have to be glass or can they be plastic like a Jeep? That's about all I can think of though. I don't know enough about car mechanics to understand how to save money under the hood. I know there was some discussion about the transmission. The transmission in my '05 Sentra is going strong at 170,000 miles. Certainly 12 year old transmission technology would be cheap to come by....

 

[W. WIllie]

You got a lot to learn "Grasshopper".

 

[Donnyboy]

When it comes to what's under the hood of a car I choose not to learn anything about it.

And that's not a grasshopper, it's a Pikachu!

 

[wizard of ahs]

3wheelin I think you're 100% correct. I've puzzled the Elio situation till my puzzler was sore. Yes that's Dr. Seuss, but with a 10 year old in the house I've got plenty of Dr. Seuss quotes in my head. Here's what I've puzzled... Assume I'm a microcap mutual fund manager. I'm looking at investing in Elio stock. I tour the facility, see all the plans, etc. With almost no market exposure they obtained 65,000 reservations. Amazing. Looks like a home run waiting to happen. But what you said is what I think happened next. Paul claimed a profit of $1,000-$1,500 on every car. I think the analysts ran the numbers and said BS. Maybe at a production of 500,000 cars per year that's the profit, but no one is going to take that kind of chance on a startup. Now what can Elio do? We've locked in our price so I don't think the price can go up. But they can take options out! The options were only projected and never locked in. That's where I think Elio has a chance to make a good enough profit to satisfy investors. That's really what the car was all about in the beginning....sell a base model as cheap as possible, then let people add on accessories through ePlus. On their details page they list standard convenience features. These are the ones I think they have to dump:
* A/C
6 way adjustable front seat
* AM/FM stereo radio
* Power windows and door locks
* Cruise control
Trip computer
Interior light
Rear sear USB port
Hill Start assist

They've got to show they can make a profit or investors will never fund this thing. Charging for previously included features is the only way I think they can do it. Oh my puzzler is sore now....

Only problem is, the items I marked with an * have already been advertised as STANDARD items.

I don't think the front seat was power, rather it was 6 way adjustable. ?

Correct, seat is 6 way MANUAL seat.

 

[Johnny Acree]

Remember, all options will have to be installed at the marshaling centers. I think A/C would take to much time. I'm actually surprised they are allowing us to choose a manual transmission. I thought they would have gone the way smart did, and only offer the AMT transmission. I guess they did not want the negative feedback from customers, if it did not shift they way they expected.

 

[W. WIllie]

Back to "reality". We won't know much of anything until they want US (ALL IN) to make the choices for our vehicle.

 

[pistonboy]

Remember, all options will have to be installed at the marshaling centers. I think A/C would take to much time. I'm actually surprised they are allowing us to choose a manual transmission. I thought they would have gone the way smart did, and only offer the AMT transmission. I guess they did not want the negative feedback from customers, if it did not shift they way they expected.

Your post created a scary thought in me. The Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) is simply a manual transmission with a servo box controlling the clutch and transmission shifting forks. It is easy to offer both a manual and AMT transmissions.

Suppose the AMT was changed to a traditional transmission. Now it would be two transmissions, not a simple box connected to it. This is more complex and they want everything simple. Would they stop offering the manual transmission?

 

[Donnyboy]

We won't know much of anything until they want US (ALL IN) to make the choices for our vehicle.

Those choices we make is why I think the Elio will be very profitable. How many people will buy the base Elio with no upgrades? I think very few. I know I've played around on ePlus and have added quite a few things to my Elio to make it more comfortable or fun. Mine always comes out similar to the way Coss wants his. All of those items carry a 20% markup according to Paul.