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Have you seen the new 3 wheeler?

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tomf16

tomf16

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Joined
Sep 2, 2005
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Location
Plano, Tx
First Name
Tom
Last Name
Francis
Elio-Motors-shot06.jpg


It's called the Elio. It's pretty ugly, I know, but it gets 84mpg on the highway and over 50 in the city. It's not a hybrid, comes with AC, heat, power windows and door locks as standard equipment and costs $6800.00 brand new! How is that possible? It is slow compared to most bikes, but it is far cheaper than most. And it comes with a 3 year 36000 mile warranty. I won't get one, but I can see this will be the wave of the future for vehicles. What are y'all's thoughts?
 
Didn't we see that already? In Cars 2.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk when i should have been doing something useful
 
I forgot to mention that it has 3 airbags and they expect to get a 5 star safety rating, and it's built in the US...
 
The big difference between this and the Can Am Spyder is in this, you can't do the "Harley Low Wave", like they attempt to do on the Can Am to look cool.
 
I like it!

Deserves more info than just a single shot image and a blurb. Elio

The thing that impresses me the most is how happy it makes large black men.
 
Brotha J said:
I like it!

Deserves more info than just a single shot image and a blurb. Elio

The thing that impresses me the most is how happy it makes large black men.
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I love the shot of the family of 4 in front of a 1-seat vehicle.

Looks like they took the design of the T Rex and made it cheaper.
 
My feeling is that if they can put so much into the thing, and make a profit selling it for $6800, then I feel like I've been ripped off on almost every vehicle I've ever purchased... :giveup:
 
DaveAlvarado said:
I love the shot of the family of 4 in front of a 1-seat vehicle.

Looks like they took the design of the T Rex and made it cheaper.
Click to expand...

It's a 2-seater. But, yeah, I thought the same thing. That vehicle (I refuse to recognize that as a motorcycle) is NOT a family car.

I must admit y'all, I'd get one.
 
Neither fish nor fowl. Still, if they can really pull it off for that price, they'll have a market.
 
RedPill said:
Neither fish nor fowl. Still, if they can really pull it off for that price, they'll have a market.
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Let's see: Honda builds/markets the NC700 series motorcycles for MSRP starting at +/-$6900 with estimated 64mpg.

And Elio is to build/market a 3-wheeler with a/c, airbags, etc. for MSRP of $6800 with estimated 50-84mpg??
 
Lots of internet chatter on this. A few quick searches show they expect to hire 1400 non-union workers this month (April 2013) and they have purchased an old GM manufacturing facility in LA. Looking at the front suspension, it's not a Can-Am based vehicle, but a few of their interview comments say things like "world wide renowned motorcycle engine builder", "parts and equipment made in America" and "100% proven technology". That begs the questions, WHOSE parts are they using.

Edit to add:
Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/ed_richards/blog/elio-motors-the-next-big-thing-in-transportation/

Designed with front-wheel drive and a “tadpole” body design, the Elio is built on the premise of a low purchase price and high miles per gallon, according to its architect and company founder, Paul Elio. We will power the vehicle with an inline 3 cylinder, 1 liter, 70 HP, fuel injected, DOHC gas powered, liquid cooled automotive engine. The transmission will be either a 5-speed manual or automatic. The top speed is in excess of 100 MPH, and the 0-60 speed is under 9.6 seconds. The engine is in the front and it is a front wheel drive vehicle.

We will have 3 wheel disc brakes with ABS on 15″ wheels. The suspension is independent, unequal length control arms, coil over spring and shock in the front and Mono shock with coil over spring and shock in the rear. The ground clearance is 5.75″.

The body panels are made of composite which will be attached to a stiff body which will lead to a quiet cockpit experience.

The trunk space will be at least 27″ x 14″ x 10″, enough for a airline carry on bag, and will be able to accommodate a golf bag with the rear seat down (47″+).

Heater, defrost, A/C, AM/FM radio, three airbags, seat belts, tempered glass, windshield wiper, are all standard equipment.




And some dose of reality in a comment:
I have been in the industry as a Finance Manager residing over program costs, and I don't see any way they can build a vehicle at that price, with those attributes and that warranty. At his price, he will run at a loss and will compromise quality to try and reduce his lose. At best they can price at $20k once they get production running steady with a reasonable footprint, but that will take a few years. I wish him the best of luck,


Maybe some poking around can yield engine/drivetrain/front-end manufacturers? The company's site won't spill the beans.

.
 
Last edited:
tomf16 said:
Elio-Motors-shot06.jpg
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i-sjz8Pvg-M.jpg


Tomber's more stable cousin :sun:

"Official Description: Tomber is a dubious little French car with an unusual, and very unstable, three-wheeled design that befits the meaning of his name – to fall. By trade he deals car parts from a stall in a Parisian market—though his questionable merchandise sources have led to his reluctant acquaintance with British secret agent Finn McMissile."
 
Needs 3 wheel drive with a GM LNF 2.0 turbo'ed engine putting out 260 HP stock. Intercooler upgrade and tune takes the motor to 320 HP. Then it would be fun to drive. Would still get 30-40 mpg depending how heavy your foot was.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
tshelfer said:
Three-wheel companies pop up from time to time. Some are underfunded, a few are outright frauds. At the price - well, I hate to sound like a skeptic, but....
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True enough. He does say that he has $100M in funding, and the owner of the GM plant he is going to use is on the board. He's got an impressive personal business background so it's possible that this could actually make it to production. And I agree with you on the price... It seems a little too good to be true.
 
tomf16 said:
My feeling is that if they can put so much into the thing, and make a profit selling it for $6800, then I feel like I've been ripped off on almost every vehicle I've ever purchased... :giveup:
Click to expand...

Well, it does have "KLR" stamped on the back of it
 
Corbin Sparrow
Corbin%2BSparrow.jpg


Myers Motors (formly Corbin)
about_h.jpg


The Corbin needs a internal combustion engine, that electric thingy just won't get it.

Oh BTW there is this, too. "it goes 70mph" really 70 on a tricycle!
600cc-Street3WheelCar-2.jpg


It has working speakers!

[ame="http://youtu.be/yG6CDa0QXTQ"]3 wheel car from saferwholesale - YouTube[/ame]
 
Meyers Motors.... Interesting, but from a different perspective.

Meyers is taking "Reservations" starting April 15th, 2013. VERY similar to the Eli in that respect. So what makes it interesting is, was there a block of Federal funding to put TWO of these guys on the same playing field at the same time?
 
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