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Any issues with Mahindra's pick-up are issues with the pick-up.
Indian market cars are simply not at the same level as American market cars. While the durability is there (Indian owners complain about them, true, but they're better screwed together than previous-generation Chinese cars), build quality, refinement and interior quality are not... and it's questionable whether the truck would pass safety requirements.
Best study start-ups and see what works... start-ups promising something cheap, something different, something "less" than a car... they don't typically work. The market for brand new cars in America is not a "needs" market, (The "needs" market in America is covered by secondhand cars) it's a "wants" market.
Hardly anybody wanted an Aptera. OR a Zap Xebra (thank God) or even a SMART car. They want something with four doors, AC, and the ability to survive crashing into a bank vault. And whether that last part is true, or not, they want the perception of that kind of safety, at least. Look at all the crap the mainstream press in the USA gives the Mirage. It's not a great car, but it's not one of the ten worst cars of all time.
Tesla survives because it doesn't give two whits about what people need. It gives them what they want. Exciting, fast and exclusive cars... that just happened to be electric. They also charge realistic prices for the innovations... Fisker could have done that, too (they actually sold lots of them), if they'd watched the bottom-line as carefully as Tesla did.
Sell to the rich, and you can fund your own development. Sell to the poor and they'll hate you for reminding them they're poor. Case in point: Tata Nano. Nobody wants it. They'd rather have the same, anonymous Maruti Alto everyone else is driving, rather than admit they can't afford the extra cash over the Nano.
Elio has to tread a fine line here. If they finally reach the sales stage, they have to push the "lifestyle" button. Make the trike look fashionable, luxurious (leather? HUD? Toys?) and perhaps even exciting to drive (seriously... off-the-shelf motor with more power, please). It shouldn't be sold as something cheaper than car. It should be sold as something cooler than a car or a motorbike.
Building their own motor sounds like a mistake on the same level as Fisker... only time will tell whether it was the right thing to do or not.
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