Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
The 3 wheels does not equal 3/4 the price. You still have one of each of the most expensive things like motor, transmission, a/c system, controls, instruments, etc. The big makers figured out long ago it doesn't really cost less to build a small car as it does to build a big car. So if the least expensive car in the US is over $12,000 how does dropping a wheel get you almost 1/2 the cost? No doubt China or India could and do do it for that money, but we aren't talking $20/week labor, no EPA bureaucracy, stolen technology, and no content 20hp cars.
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This, so much this.
Even if we are going for a lighter vehicle, the need to meet US emissions and safety regulations, as well as NVH targets and comfort requirements (AC? Heater?) will bump the price up.
Nissan gets away with the Versa because, partially, of low labor costs in Mexico, and because the sunk costs in terms of development and tooling have been amortized over two generations and spread across a product range that is sold globally in many different markets... and which further shares much of its switchgear, electronics and running gear with such varied products as the Sentra/Sylphy and NV200.
If you develop parts specifically for a small car while chasing lightness and economy, you end up with something like the Smart ForTwo. Expensive for what you get.
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Elio had the chance to build its three-wheeler from off-the-shelf technology while still hitting its price and economy targets by pulling stuff off the shelf, but they didn't... they decided to scratch-build everything important. Our only "successful" business model for an automotive start-up in the 21st Century so far, Tesla, started off by mashing an already existing drivetrain into a an already existing body to create the Roadster... then building more and more in-house as time went on.
Elio, on the other hand, is trying to fly before it crawls.