Elio Motors, The Next Big Thing?!!...

[Christopher Jordan]

The sheet is extra $...

[Xist]

How much money do they need to actually sell cars and how many shirts would they need to sell?

[niky]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

And over here we're raving about the idea because we see it from the other side: most cars only have one, sometimes two passengers and minimal cargo. A hypothetical Elio would do all that in a car-like enclosure for way more mpg and much lower cost than a regular car.

Guys like us can appreciate the idea. Unfortunately, the general public will always want something "bigger" and "better".

Which is why the three-wheeler market is dying out in China, and why a lot of local dealerships... despite the fact that the average daily wage here is much lower than in the US... are phasing out their cheapest econo-car models here in favor of selling fully loaded automatic transmission variants.

I really do like the idea of the Elio, but I worry that there won't be enough* of a market to make it a workable reality.

*enough meaning 100k per year unit sales.

[secaturbo]

Really wish they would make this thing. I want to get one and put a 2000-06 insight drive train in it.

[Frank Lee]

Why?

Might as well build your own trike. That's the only way it'll happen anyway.

[freebeard]

To void the warranty?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by niky

Unfortunately, the general public will always want something "bigger" and "better".

Which is why the three-wheeler market is dying out in China, and why a lot of local dealerships... despite the fact that the average daily wage here is much lower than in the US... are phasing out their cheapest econo-car models here in favor of selling fully loaded automatic transmission variants.

Wishing something "bigger" and perceived as "better" doesn't mean it would be affordable enough. Regarding the three-wheeler market in China, it somewhat does surprise me that it's dying out. At least for some commercial operators it's still a reasonable option, in spite of their lack of "status" and "prestige".

[freebeard]

The same thing happened in Europe after WWII. Remember the microcars like the Messer and Isetta?

In Japan the kei car was embedded in the tax code and so persist to today.

[niky]

Yeah, that's another area that proves the point. Enthusiasts often bemoan that Keis are not sold outside Japan, but if you look at the markets around Japan, they all get "microcars" that are bigger, more powerful and often just as efficient as the Keis. And they're cheaper, on average.

Allowing for market factors to determine the size, shape and abilities of cars will typically result in bigger cars. Without Kei tax breaks, the class would have shrunk and even possibly disappeared years ago... subsumed by the global microcar class.

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Wishing something "bigger" and perceived as "better" doesn't mean it would be affordable enough. Regarding the three-wheeler market in China, it somewhat does surprise me that it's dying out. At least for some commercial operators it's still a reasonable option, in spite of their lack of "status" and "prestige".

Yup. But that also only lasts until economies of scale push the business to get a more "practical" cargo vehicle with higher speed and capacity. The niche for three-wheelers like the Piaggio APE only covers small businesses in urban areas where traffic limits speed for larger cargo vehicles.

[diesel_john]

yup, IMHO.
The Prius and Insight wouldn't have gotten traction without the tax breaks.