Why Are Elio Owners In Interested In Elio?

[AriLea]

You might also find this interesting, my old school, Xprize info and the Avion.
As a student, I helped with Viking IV, V and VI.
http://www.wwu.edu/vri/xprize.shtml
My Professor! Dr. Seal :-)
http://www.wwu.edu/vri/
http://www.wwu.edu/vri/past-projects.shtml
I know this test track at PACCAR well.

http://www.paccarengines.com/en-us/techmanufacturing.aspx
http://auto.xprize.org/teams
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avion_(car)

 

[AriLea]

I work for a company called FilmBreak, and my team and I have a meeting with Paul next week to discuss ways in which we can accelerate their pre-sales campaign. We'd love to hear your insights on why Elio Owners are interested in Elio. If anyone starts a conversation me, I'd love to ask you a few questions to help us better understand. Thanks!

So, given the information I've collected, and spilled out all over this forum, maybe I can plump a little more of the most relevant info to this topic here.
I've taken bit of effort to study SmartCar buyers in an actual show room floor, and compared that to various aspects of the three wheel world, especially around my target commuter design. I've also made an effort to make designs engaging to groups as I perceive them.

I must say, it's not so much what people have taken to from the past, it's what will they take to in the future. Especially in this period at the start of Elio Motors product launch. And I'll add these aspects will change as Elio goes into extended production, but later IS a subject for later.

It's a mater of who we're talking about. And what size group do they represent, standard marketing demographics. Some groups are more vocal and some groups spend more money. Does one group tell you anything about the other? Yes but only to a degree.

Can you tell anything from the reservationists, the early adopters? And extend this to the fence sitters, then into the mas buyer? Yes but only to a degree.
Can that be transcribed into talking points (or presentation) that motivate people? Sales script are the art of marketing, I/you don't have time for that here.

Basically, I've observed the motivators from people I've met and talked with, online and face to face.

So on the smart car, the motivators started with human emotion in these categories;
Look, Character, Concept, Cost, Self Statement, Emotional empathy.

When translated into triggering thoughts (motivators) it became these issues;(Smart compared to Elio)

Unique; There were very few of the cars at first, seeing it was surprising and caught the imagination around being different unique and advanced into something new. For the Elio, for the first 2 years or 60k cars, this will remain if it profiles like Smart did. After that, SmartCar had to remarket to a different demographic.

Green credentials; The car was a statement of all that the green crowd like. In effect it's a presentation to a political/policy view point. It says, I'm a member to the Green Movement. At $26k for each car, early on, the actual numbers don't add up to any personal savings. But the image of an eccomony fuel savings was compelling for this group. Elio hits that dead on, Smart more for the look of Green, and Elio more for the fact of it. In effect Elio will last longer and get more out of this motivator.

It's Cute; If you see it you like it. This is exceptionally subjective. At the point of design this reaction is built into the design, but how many people react to this. Sometime freshness adds to this and sometime familiarity does. Smart has done well while fresh and not so much after well known. You can only guess, but Elio seems to do about the same as smart while fresh based on the trike design, but is fairly conventional in other visual aspects. My expectation is it will do very well in the long term as it has a familiar look compared to 4 wheel sedan cars, such as the Prius.

The basic numbers; When you get down to it, the early Smart was a bad deal budget wise. But the other factors carried it for 10k sales/yr. Later when the price dropped, sales over 5k, have been difficult. The reason not to buy it now out weigh the reason to buy it. Obviously Elio has the numbers in their favor. Later when more impulsive motivators wane, the budgetary savings will carry the product forward.

So the deal is, how do you get the people to seriously look? Early on it seem the unique facets, and later on the cost and utility factors. But at all times presentation, the look is an initial door opener, or a deal breaker.

This has been a general essay. Next note I'll show some specific points about motivations in the two populations, reservations versus fence sitters.

 

[Rickb]

You might also find this interesting, my old school, Xprize info and the Avion.
As a student, I helped with Viking IV, V and VI.
http://www.wwu.edu/vri/xprize.shtml
My Professor! Dr. Seal
http://www.wwu.edu/vri/
http://www.wwu.edu/vri/past-projects.shtml
I know this test track at PACCAR well.

http://www.paccarengines.com/en-us/techmanufacturing.aspx
http://auto.xprize.org/teams
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avion_(car)

Interesting! I followed the Xprize Competition. I think the only winning vehicle that made it to actual production was the Team running the e-Tracer. I only wish Peraves would develop their enclosed cabin single seat commuter e-Tracer Concept at an affordable price point. That would be the retired MC riders dream machine......and mine.

 

[AriLea]

At the current time, many people now know of the Elio, so the surprise factor is less in 2d media. In person it's still quite impressive and if a person is willing to sit in it, a good percentage will reserve one.
Counter motivation comes from those who want to do their research. Reports of continued progress seem to over come this restriction more than other information on line. While recent progress wanes negative statements online seem to have more sway.
A second counter motivation is the schedule, if you have to wait too long, people seem to want to wait as well.

The basic cost savings of the vehicle seem to motivate to the most people, but these tend to do research and are heavily motivated by current needs. They need to know what they'll need at that time, but can't tell until then. So they will wait. They don't like to make reservations longer than 60-90days out.
Still this is an issue that makes people very curious, so they take a hard look.

There is a group motivated by the similarity to a motorcycle, and some who want to travel in the Elio. Some want to camp, some what social events, some want a drive-feel experience. A strong percentage put reservations in, but plenty don't. The ones who don't are looking at the risk side, they want to see continual progress toward production.

The uniqueness of the Elio drives curiosity the most, then from there the idea of different, green, attractive, cost, vehicle design get a chance.
Only slightly less so, the aspects of the cost and mpg, drives curiosity, and then on to the other factors.

 

[AriLea]

I forgot this point. The group of people de-motivated by the similarity to a motorcycle are slightly larger than those motivated, I'm not sure about those neutral, I've not met too many. This bigger group is safety oriented and the crash safety features are a good repair for that.

So it's best to mention the aspects are like a motorcycle(the feel and agility), the MC group will take notice, but don't actually say 'motorcycle' if you can. (This is likely why EM plays that down.) Maybe show some campers in a small tent, with their Elio parked near by? That would snag the leisure and social event oriented people from that segment.

 

[eddie66]

And now we have a new player in the market that came out as a google alert today. A rear wheel e-car.

http://ecomento.com/2015/05/01/shockwave-electric-roadster-nearing-production/

 

[AriLea]

And now we have a new player in the market that came out as a google alert today. A rear wheel e-car.
http://ecomento.com/2015/05/01/shockwave-electric-roadster-nearing-production/

Nice find!, Yes that one is coming in on the tail of that racer that has two narrow track tire in front.

They do say in the article that the Elio (tadpole trike) is more stable than delta trikes, but of course that is a simplification. The Shockwave can do power turns, which Elio can not(mostly only good for racing). Plus it has a very long wheel base, which makes up for some of the short fall. Still it will have oversteer/understeer swaps, like all classic delta trikes do. The case is, does it push the swapping out past the normal driving envelope? The question is, in a roadster sport vehicle, what's the normal envelope? And/or can your driver handle that?

In the case of the racer I noted, they both pushed the 'swapping' out to the edges of the 'envelope' and the driver can handle what they do experience. This was done by having a very wide rear track, low cg, good cg front to back, and again a long wheelbase and having a professional racecar driver.

 

[AriLea]

Will the Shockwave meet the same fate as the TriVette? It is a little more cultivated I admit. Still in production(I think) very very low volume. Power at a price.

http://www.3wheelers.com/vigilante.html

With a slightly shorter nose, I'd like the Subaru X100 better. Better economy.

 

['lio]

Will the Shockwave meet the same fate as the TriVette? It is a little more cultivated I admit. Still in production(I think) very very low volume. Power at a price.

http://www.3wheelers.com/vigilante.html

With a slightly shorter nose, I'd like the Subaru X100 better. Better economy.

View attachment 5523

I remember reading somewhere that Bob Keyes, the man behind the TriVette and Vigillante, died in the mid 2000's and that production stopped afterwards.

 

[AriLea]

Probably right, the website looks little old and dusty to me.