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

[aerohead]

The Senior Corps of Retired Executives at the Federal Bldg. in Dallas shared some things with me when contemplating manufacturing/sales:
*Strong patent/copyright protection to protect venture capitalists.
*Strong cash position to handle infringement,@ $ 250,000 per lawsuit
*Three-years working capital
*Sell at a loss at market entry
*Learn manufacturing efficiency as you progress
*Break even at 3-years
*Any profit accruing after the initial 36-months
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In the 1990s,Volkswagen AG was operating at an average $46 per vehicle profit,but on global sales of millions of units spread between VW,Porsche,Audi,SEAT.
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Elio will,in addition to everything else,be creating a market which doesn't presently exist.
This is not for the weak of heart.

[ecomodded]

It has World class fuel economy and will cost half that of the cheapest traditional high mpg car.

I Bet it will have many fans once its released.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I don't really believe the $6800 version would be the best-seller, if it really gets available to the average Joe. Anyway, a good way to caught more attention from the media and possible buyers would be to offer a turbocharged version, since the Suzuki G10 engine which seems to be the same one used in the Elio featured it. Then, instead of just a penny-pincher deal, it could be taken seriously even in the field of entry-level sportscars.

[freebeard]

*Sell at a loss at market entry

At the very least, that one won't be a problem.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Don't they consider some export markets too? Sure it would be a problem if they tried to export the no-frills version due to the freight and import duties, but a fully-loaded version could make it easier to justify.

[ecomodded]

Some consumers check out the elio -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpSn00HlM30

[Xist]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Don't they consider some export markets too? Sure it would be a problem if they tried to export the no-frills version due to the freight and import duties, but a fully-loaded version could make it easier to justify.

I imagine that it would make more sense to make Elios in or nearer the specific foreign market than to ship it from the U.S. I do not know how many people would complain about that, either.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

I imagine that it would make more sense to make Elios in or nearer the specific foreign market than to ship it from the U.S. I do not know how many people would complain about that, either.

Or just shipping its bodyshell and suspension setup to be fitted with locally-available drivelines. I guess it might not be so hard to fit one with that 3-cyl 800cc engine used in some Indian-made Suzuki subcompacts currently available in Uruguay, which in spite of their poor aerodynamics still achieve some 62MPG in city traffic

[k3ith]

I'm not sure they'd do well in a lot of countries that allow smaller cars that wouldn't pass crash testing in the US.

However, if they did send them to Europe, I'd imagine they'd use diesel. In Asia, they'd probably use much smaller powerplants and have lower power and speed.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by k3ith

I'm not sure they'd do well in a lot of countries that allow smaller cars that wouldn't pass crash testing in the US.

They may still find their place in export markets as an object of status. In my country, for example, tricycles are generally perceived as a leisure vehicle.