Elio Motors, the fledgling three-wheel vehicle company, continues to market itself with new ideas. The latest is a fleet sales division to capitalize on what the company describes as increasing interest from businesses, rental car companies and municipalities.
Although the launch of the reported $6,800 car touted with a predicted 84 mpg has been delayed and funding isn’t established, Elio has announced Brendan Carey, Vice President of Fleet Sales, a former ADESA (KAR Auctions) employee who joined Elio Motors in 2013, with head the new division,
The fleet division, Elio reports, will provide significant cost-savings to companies and government entities that have fleets for rentals, deliveries, service calls, and other travel-related needs.
With the average price a new vehicle in the United States approaching $30,000, businesses and municipalities can save nearly $23,200 switching to an Elio.
In addition, assuming a vehicle gets 25 MPG and is driven 20,000 at $4 per gallon of gas, switching to an Elio would save a company nearly $2,250.00 annually on fuel costs.
“Interest in Elio Motors among the business community is extremely high, and rightfully so,” said Paul Elio, founder and CEO of Elio Motors. “As we’ve taken the vehicle on its 33-city nationwide tour, we are always approached by business people, rental companies, and government officials who recognize they can attain significant savings converting their fleet to Elios.”
An example of some of the businesses that have made Elio Motors reservations include Griffin Beverage Company in Michigan and SOS Alarm in Oregon.
“While most of our deliveries require a large truck, route sales orders can be conducted by a single driver with an occasional light load,” said Bob Griffin, CEO of Griffin Beverage, which has reserved 18 vehicles. “We will see significant cost savings over the course of a year by shifting away from vans and into an Elio. It’s a move that will provide an immediate positive impact to our bottom line.”
For SOS Alarm, most of their business travel is from field reps checking up on customers.
“We don’t always need to lug around a ton of equipment, so it makes sense to conduct many of our trips in a low-cost, highly fuel-efficient vehicle,” said Henry Knepp, Regional Manager of SOS Alarm. “Elio Motors will give us a low-cost option that we’ve been looking for.”
According to the Elio Motors website, more than 24,000 would-be owners, have made deposits from $100 to $1,500 for the odd-looking vehicle.
Other business that have reserved an Elio for fleet purposes include Peoria Car Rental in Peoria, AZ; Treasure Coast Car Wash in Port St. Lucie, FL; and Edge Auto Rental in New York, NY.
For more information, visit: https://www.eliomotors.com.
Article Last Updated: July 10, 2014.