Say “Hello!” to Elio: A new made-in-the-USA car that is ultra-high-mileage (84MPG), with an incredibly affordable base price of $6,800.
From Elio Motors:
Between March 1998 and 2013, the U.S. lost 5.7 million manufacturing jobs. These statistics didn’t just alarm Paul Elio. They moved him to take action.
The world believes U.S. innovation and vehicle manufacturing is dead, and unfortunately a lot of Americans agree. Should we wave the white flag and let more jobs leave our shores? In 2009 Paul Elio said no, and Elio Motors was born.
Did you know that:
- Over 76% of Americans drive solo to work everyday, which means most of us don’t need a car with 4 seats.
- There are over 90 million old clunkers on the road today averaging less than 20 MPG.
We can do better! Americans need the ultra fuel-efficient, highly affordable and incredibly safe Elio.
The Elio is made in the usa
- U.S. made by American workers at the former GM plant in Shreveport, Louisiana
- Designed using over 90% North American content
- A collaboration of the finest automobile suppliers in the world, with German engineering and Swiss innovation
- Led by the ‘Who’s Who’ of the transportation industry
Simple, ingenious innovation using current technology. Its about time.
The first Elios will be on the market in fourth quarter 2016, i.e., beginning in October.
From Wikipedia:
Elio Motors is an American startup automaker founded in 2008 by Paul Elio, engineer and company CEO. Elio has designed an aerodynamic, fuel-efficient (84 mpg), low-cost ($6,800), three wheeled motor vehicle, with production due to start in 2016. The car will be sold through retail stores. The vehicle has successfully undergone crash-testing, and is legally classed as a motorcycle. Elio Motors is based in Phoenix, Arizona and is preparing to manufacture its vehicles in Caddo Parish, Louisiana.
Elio Motors currently has its first vehicle under development, a three-wheeled model (two wheels in front, one in back) with an 8 gallon fuel tank, and planned fuel efficiency of 84 mpg…and an EPA blended fuel efficiency of 60.3 mpg…. The car has an advertised targeted MSRP of US $6,800, with the current projected base price to be no more than $7600 (from SEC filing).
The three wheeler is projected to feature heater, defroster, air conditioning, power windows and door lock, stereo, two person seating capacity in tandem, three airbags, a reinforced roll cage, side intrusion beams, seat belts, windshield wiper, stability control, and ABS. Company executives project the vehicle will receive a five-star safety rating. Fully enclosed like a standard automobile, the vehicle’s three-wheel design falls under the U.S. government motorcycle classification. The company has successfully lobbied, in most states, to alter regulations that would otherwise require drivers to wear a helmet and, in many states, to remove the requirement for operators to have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver license.
Here’s a side-view of a 3rd-generation Elio protype. This is the one I want! :)
Photo by YouRock12345
Elio Motors is taking reservations with a deposit on its website. Non-refundable deposits range from $100 to $1,000. As of the time when this post was published, the number of reservations for the first Elios to come off the assembly line: 48,739.
To reserve one, go to Elio’s website. Click here.
H/t Dale Cordell
~Eowyn
