Elio Motors, named after its founder, Paul Elio, has announced plans to build their quirky, three-wheeled, super-efficient vehicle in the old General Motors plant in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Shreveport plant was home to most of GM’s compact pickups including the S-10 and most recently, the Colorado and Canyon.
Elio’s founder described his car as “the next big thing in transportation.” The car will cost just $6, 800 when it goes on sale and despite the low price, will offer 3 airbags. Elio is reportedly aiming for a 5-star safety rating for the vehicle.
The Elio will be powered by a 1.0 liter, three-cylinder, 70 horsepower engine capable of delivering up to 84 mpg. A figure of around 49 mpg in the city is expected when the Elio receives its official rating from the EPA.
Elio began taking pre-orders for the car in December and according to The Detroit Bureau, have already logged more than 1, 000 orders. Elio Motors plans to have the car in production by the fourth quarter of this year, with the first deliveries taking place sometime in 2015.
Comments
Interesting..
Only three wheels it’s not a car. It’s a motorcycle.
I saw one of these here in Chicago suburbs early last summer on display at a forest preserve park. Very down to earth basic transportation… Really ideal for commuting but nothing more. this would be someones third vehicle “The Commuter”. Trust me they were taking orders long before december.
The current number of reservations is at 9,006
I really hope Paul Elio, and his merry band, can pull this off, because it is really is a game changer… Especially for those of us who love the internal combustion engine.
I may have to start saving $7,000.
A motorcycle with a roll cage, a steering wheel, enclosed cab, etc.?
It is really a separate category, an ‘autotrike’, like the old Messershmidts.
I LOVE THE ELIO.I HAVE TO HAVE ONE. Google me.
Gino Scarpelli.
One bad ass ride,I ride a HD,this will be my go to machine when it’s raining,takes to damn long to clean my motorcycle,& I might add better mpg!!!
Count me in . I made a down payment for one this month. I hope they offer an optional cigarette lighter to power a GPS and perhaps cruise control. I wouldn’t mind paying extra since the price is only $6800.
http://www.nbc29.com/story/24721209/culpeper-site-to-manufacture-new-autocycle
Totally different market. But very cool. The Elio is a high mileage, low cost vehicle. The Invader is a high dollar performance vehicle. Same basic design, but vastly different market. I love both though
I’d by one in a heartbeat, perfect replacement for my ’99 Z24 Commuter car
There is absolutely NO comparison of the Elio to the Invader (linked by P). The Elio is a low cost, high mileage commuter vehicle and the Invader is a high performance TOY. The Elio gets 84mpg highway, has an enclosed cabin with heat/AC and will cost around $6800. The Invader cannot be ridden in the rain and costs $50k+. You could buy *7* Elio’s and still have money left over compared to buying a SINGLE Invader! Don’t get me wrong, the Invader looks like it would be lot of fun to drive, but they are 2 completely different vehicles built for 2 completely different purposes. I also don’t know of a whole lot of people who have $50k to spare for a “toy”.
When the Elio makes it to the market, it’s going to be a game changer. The Invader will still just be a fun toy for weekends. Big difference.
If when this car hits the market, there is a good response,… It could revolutionize the car industry. I am not just talking about a lot of these Elio things being on the road. I am talking about competitors like chevy, ford, honda, toyota, and everyone else, being forced to innovate even more than they have. They will have to provide vehicles with comparable MPGs just to continue receiving their slice of the pie. I will definitely be keeping this vehicle in mind when I go to make my next car purchase.
The bill in the WV Legislature to create the category of ‘autocycle’ and make it that such can be driven without a motorcycle endorsement and with no helmet requirement passed the Senate but died in committee in the House. (Because of certain crises, the Legislature had a lot more business on its plate than usual; it may come up before the special session.)
Elio hasn’t leased any space at the plant yet and doubt if he will due to lack of funding.
Ah, don’t sell yourself short Doubting Thomas, you are correct, Elio hasn’t leased any space at the plant yet. Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board bought the plant, and Industrial Realty Group leases the plant from the CPIDB. Elio has rented space from IRG. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11463958.htm
I live near the plant. Elio released that that January PR and a month later still hadn’t reached a lease agreement with IRG according to the local news. Haven’t heard anything about it since then.