Quote:
Originally Posted by rmay635703
The price increase would be due to the car being completely and utterly redesigned, gaining 2000lbs of weight to meet percieved US requirements (sort of like the fiat 500 when it came over, again)
Ah well.
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+1.
The prospect of manufacturing and marketing automobiles and staying in business once you've started in the U.S./Canada is got to be one of the toughest ventures in our economy. Not just how tough it is to certify cars through the EPA, and the NHTSA, but the whole after-the-sale set of requirements, e.g. the recall system, VIN system, etc. makes it a viable business for only the biggest and most established that were already around when this regulation thing first started to grow into the monster that it is today. The established auto industry lobbies like crazy to keep it tough to play here, but the consumer pays extra thousands due to our system built to protect us from our own reckless and negligent driving, and our refusal to do simple things like check air pressure in tires.
Some of the largest car companies in the world avoid the world's largest auto market. Anybody ever wonder why?
Hats off to Tesla for being able to stay alive this long. Yes Mr. Musk had lots of money starting out, but if money was all it took, we'd have Renaults and Peugeots for sale in America. I'd chaulk Tesla's survival thus far up to determination, very smart engineers, and a company mission that is more idealistic than just being in it to make money.
Mahindra tried and tried but couldn't sell a simple pickup truck here. From what I read, they got stuck with EPA certification and finding a distribution partner. Sort of funny, in an ironic sense, how no one wanted to do business with an automaker as established and large as they are. There must have been forces here that didn't want them here selling autos.
If the Elios folks get closer to production and begin to attract media attention and begin to be seen as a threat to the "established" group of car manufacturers, I'd guess they'll start suddenly getting a new set of hurdles to jump before coming to market.