What If? - Elio Beyond 2017 . . .

[Jim H]

Why should I? Big, old, bad and scary world out there for a man of my age (69)

As a 69 year old vet I do not find the world out there to be scary but rather challenging, exciting, and enjoyable. That's why the Elio is so exciting. It will open up other exciting experiences for me. I plan on living my life to the fullest and my Elio will be part of that experience.

 

[Dustoff]

As a 69 year old vet I do not find the world out there to be scary but rather challenging, exciting, and enjoyable. That's why the Elio is so exciting. It will open up other exciting experiences for me. I plan on living my life to the fullest and my Elio will be part of that experience.

I'm with Ya' on that. I too am retired and a Vet. We have been through too much to be worried about all the things not under our control. Live life to it's fullest.

 

[pj rogers]

My man cave rocks, Nothing, I mean nothing is better than watching ball games on a big screen, ..Movies, and even the pawn stars and the home and garden shows, the love it or leave it fixer upper stuff..
I just built some neat shelving for my Denver bronco stuff. Have seating for 7 now. All I need is a little red popcorn popper.
My elio will be a toy, to take a relaxed sunday trip to Tulsa, or to dallas. Maybe, Pop over to the girl friends and let her drive to see her mom in the nursing home. I just want it already, EM can't find the mirror because of all the smoke.!

 

[Dustoff]

Good for you. Enjoy your toys real or imaginary.

 

[Dustoff]

My man cave rocks Nothing, I can't find the mirror because of all the smoke.!

Maybe the reply function shouldn't include the ability to alter a quote.

 

[tazairforce]

My man cave rocks, Nothing, I mean nothing is better than watching ball games on a big screen, ..Movies, and even the pawn stars and the home and garden shows, the love it or leave it fixer upper stuff..
I just built some neat shelving for my Denver bronco stuff. Have seating for 7 now. All I need is a little red popcorn popper.
My elio will be a toy, to take a relaxed sunday trip to Tulsa, or to dallas. Maybe, Pop over to the girl friends and let her drive to see her mom in the nursing home. I just want it already, EM can't find the mirror because of all the smoke.!

PJ, do you knit, they do say it can/will fit in nicely with a stay at home life stile. Maybe give you some time away from your computer??

BTW, do you have a production/in line number, or are you here just to be negative?????

I still say you need to 'Get Out More', try it you might like it.

 

[rmcelroy]

Lil4x
I understand your concerns. We both watched the birth of the SUV, it was caused by unobtainable CAFE numbers. Instead of meeting the numbers the auto industry just convinced everyone they couldn't live without a truck.

Thank you tree huggers for the SUV craze. Beware of unintended consequenses.

 

[ecdriver711]

IF is a big word, but take a look at the automobile industry as it stands today - and facing mandatory fuel consumption numbers in a few years. What are the big guys doing about achieving that required 54.5 miles per gallon for the 2025 model year? Thus far, not much. The industry seems to be counting on repeal of those numbers, or else a sudden shift to electrics, natural gas, or hydrogen fuels. Without a major shift in fuel infrastructure, these simply won't happen. Thus far there's no incentive for energy companies to do anything but produce motor gasoline. You don't see anyone rushing out to build electric charging stations or hydrogen dispensers on every street corner in America - and you probably won't - like it or not, mogas is hands-down the fuel of the coming generation.

I wouldn't bet GM, Ford, or Chrysler/Fiat on any kind of legislation - somewhere I'd want to hedge my bet. Elio, or something like it, can be built in a couple of years (by a major corporation) in volumes that could improve an automakers CAFE numbers to the point they could remain in business. Is THIS the ultimate fate of Elio Motors? . . . . acquisition by GM, Ford, Toyota, etc.?

Let's face it, in order to stay in the automobile business beyond 2025, EM would be the low-hanging fruit in any major automaker's quest to produce a super-economical car practically overnight. As an entry-level vehicle, designed for commuters, and marketed at a price every commuter could easily afford a safe, weatherproof transportation capsule that would boost the CAFE averages for a company intent on selling 5-passenger cars that aren't quite able to grasp that 54.5 across-the-board corporate average, the Elio would be a Godsend that would still allow them to produce Escalades and Grand Cherokees as halo products for their marques. Naturally the base price of their rebranded "Elio" would increase pretty dramatically - to probably $10-12K, with options that could bring the sticker price to a pretty appalling $23K or more.

Unaccustomed as I am to playing devil's advocate here, the acquisition of EM by any of the Big 4 or 5 would allow them to remain as a major player in the business by putting a fully-developed product in their showrooms that would earn them huge credits on the CAFE charts. A few hundred million or so would be chicken feed to one of these industrial giants, and it would effectively head off a whole lot of federal mandates and forced shut-downs.

The engineering is done, and there will be in a few years, plenty of proof-of-market products on the road. Elio will have broken the trail, developed a successful product, and proven that Americans will actually BUY small 2-seat commuter vehicles. The hard work will already have been done. A major automaker's assembly process would only have to be adjusted to fit their industrial culture. In a year or two of production, even those processes could be completely re-formed. Will we see an Elio (or something really close to it) with a Chevy bow-tie or a Ford blue oval on it by, say, 2020?

Not likin the idea. Negitave good on this idea. I would hope if anyone at EM reads our posts here on the forum; they would not even bother to finish reading that one

 

[Lil4X]

I'm not fond of it either, bit let's look at some disturbing possibilities: first of which is the reaction of large, well-funded automaker(s) when their market for Fiesta, Fiat, and Aveo is being undercut by a bunch of engineers with a great idea at a world-beating price. Worse, what if they meet their engineering, manufacturing, and sales targets?

Somehow I don't see GM rolling over and playing dead here. If Elio proves right about the market for commuter vehicles, the old "big three" could take a big hit here. If you look at other "independents" in the car business, the big boys can fight dirty when they think they are threatened.

 

[Dustoff]

It seems that they may be fighting here!