Elio Motors

Episode 20, 2017 year-end observations, goodbye to 21 cars

Every year, cars come and go. In 2018, nearly two dozen vehicles available in 2017 won’t be available as new models. Some of the cars, like the Chevrolet Spark, have been failing for years. Some of the other departing vehicles, like the Honda Accord coupe, come as surprises. In Episode 20 of The Weekly Driver Podcast, co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia bid farewell to the departing vehicles. Some we’ll miss. But for others, good riddance. With the new year upon us, we also look back on some of the popular topics in the auto industry during 2017. What exactly will happen beginning January 1 with the new marijuana laws beging is anyone’s guess. How will law enforcement officials handle

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Commentary: Is Elon Musk masking Tesla’s troubles?

Is there a better mastermind in the automotive business than Elon Musk? Whenever he talks, people listen. No more so than recently when he held court in fron of VIPs and the media to announce Tesla’s new electric truck and the second generation of its supercar roadster. To Musk’s credit, he’s changed the car industry. Tesla is the first electric supercar. Its innovation and “green” technology have rocked the automotive world. The Tesla has been tested by some industry publications as the safest car ever made. But Musk has also realized Tesla will never matter to the public at large and to his environmental causes until it becomes affordable. And that’s where caution prevails. Several major publications, including the Los

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Elio no more? Plenty of alternative EVs ready to roll

Since its infancy in 2009, Paul Elio has touted his three-wheel, futuristic-looking vehicle as revolutionary. Its originally base cost was $6,800 and its specs were marketed with bravado, including 84 miles per gallon and a top speed of 100 miles per hour. Through nearly a decade of talk, negotiations with various service companies, an increased starting price and several other issues, Elio has taken more than 65,000 reservations for a vehicle whose production model has never been built. Jobs promised have never been fulfilled. Elio has massive debt and little cash. Prototypes of the mystery vehicle were showcased at auto shows and in various cities around the country. But that’s it. Elio has stated his car, now with a base

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More troubles for Elio Motors, company failure imminent?

It’s hard to keep it up with the setbacks of Elio Motors. Failure now seems imminent. The latest woes of the fledgling company include another production delay until at least 2019, a public offering with hopes of raising $100 million and an announcement of potential design defects in prototypes. Additionally, the company founded in 2009 by Paul Elio and his goal to offer a three-wheel vehicle with a top speed of 100 mph, a cost of $6,800 and an estimated 84 mph, doesn’t have operating revenue. It has dismissed much of its engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing workplace. “The Elio is still in development, and we do not expect to start delivering to customers until 2019,” Elio said in his

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Elio Motors sputters again, will miss promised job deadline

As if Elio Motors hasn’t had enough setbacks, now Paul Elio, the company’s owner and founder, says he’ll miss the deadline for the hiring of 1,500 jobs he promised for workers to staff the fledgling company’s manufacturing plant in Shreveport, Louisiana. A report in the Shreveport Times, the city’s newspaper, details that Elio still plans to build this three-wheel vehicle in the former General Motors plant. But he’s also running up against a possible financial per-job penalty from RACER Trust. The financial company was appointed to run the GM plant in 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, according to the newspaper. Elio Motors hasn’t begun production of the public vehicle. But it has touted prototypes for years at cars shows

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Elio Motors “owner” files lawsuit against fledgling company

The backlash surrounding the delay and recent official SEC filings for fledgling Elio Motors has resulted in a lawsuit by a wannabe customer who now wants his deposit returned. As reported on the website Gas 2.0, a posting on Reddit by a user named jimmbybob479 details his small claims court action against the manufacturer of a three-wheel vehicle that has been delayed for several years. According to the Elio Motors website, more than 68,000 interested buyers have made deposits for the $7,300 vehicle touted as getting 84 mph and a top speed of 100 mph. The person seeking his deposit returned, wrote: “I looked up their registered agent in my state, filed a small claims lawsuit with my local justice

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Elio Motors backfires again: debut delayed until 2018

Hopeful buyers of the fledgling three-wheel vehicle made by Elio Motors will have to wait at least another year. For the third straight year, the company that seeks to revolutionize the automotive industry has delayed its vehicle’s debut. The company founded by Paul Elio recently announced new relationships with new suppliers in a press release. It also touted another prototype on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. In the same time frame, however, the company also posted its latest delay on its Facebook page. Several media outlets, including The Weekly Driver, recently reported the automaker has about $100,000 in the bank and debt of more than $123 million, according to a Security Exchange Commission document. Elio

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Elio Motors Timeline, 2014-2016: Plans, Promises, No Cars

In early 2014, The Weekly Driver reported on the ambitious plans of Elio Motors to debut about a year later an unnamed three-wheel vehicle conceived by company founder Paul Elio. The attraction was startling: the futuristic-looking contraption was touted as costing $6,800, and it could achieve 84 mpg. Further, the company promoted the vehicle as featuring an eight-gallon gas tank with a 672-mile range and a top speed of more than 100 mph. The small front-mounted engine in the Elio was promoted as 1.0 liter, with three cylinders and 70 horsepower. It would feature two seats, with an optional fold-down passenger seat for cargo space. In the nearly three years since Elio Motors received its first public notoriety a lot

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If Elio Motors fails, Canadian EV start-up will honor deposits

As Elio Motors continues its fledgling future, another start-up is seeking the opportunity to capitalize — if the long-promised but undelivered three-wheel fails. Elio Motors’ website lists more than 62,000 reservations for the futuristic-looking 3-cylinder vehicle its founder Paul Elio claims will get as much as 84 mpg. But a recent report on the website Gas 2.0 details Elio Motors loss of more than $123 million in its filing with the Security Exchange Commission (SEC). In the filing, Elio further reports its future is in jeopardy without additional fundings. In reaction to the most recent post on TheWeeklyDriver.com (we’ve written more than a dozen articles on Elio Motors), A Canadian EV start-up, Electra Meccanica Vehicles Corp., sent us a comment:

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Elio Motors: So long, farewell to your three-wheel hype

The fate of the much-hyped, low-cost, high gas mileage, three-wheel vehicle manufactured by Elio Motors may end before it starts. A report on the website Gas 2.0 details the company’s massive spending, substantial debt, and severe concerns it will continue. Elio Motors, which has touted its predicted 84 mpg futuristic vehicles for several years, has missed many deadlines for the vehicle’s debut. It has produced five three-wheel prototypes, but its prediction of creating 1,500 jobs at its Louisiana plant has never materialized. In a partial description of the company’s Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) filing on the Gas 2.0 site, Paul Elio, the company’s founder and president, reports an accumulated debt of $123,212,422 as of Sept. 30, 2016. In the company’s

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Elio sets higher price, compares three-wheeler to VW

Elio Motors has “locked in” a base price of $7,300 for its three-wheel vehicle that hasn’t been manufactured and has no definitive debut date. It’s an increase of $500 from the original price the start-up company has promoted for several years. Touted as an ultra high-mileage, ultra low-cost vehicle that will achieve up to 84 mph, the newly announced price will be available to the first 65,000 non-refundable reservations the company receives. The company has more than 56,000 reservations total, according to its web site totals. Elio Compares Concept to VW Beetle In the latest of dozen of press releases, Elio said it “aims to disrupt the American transportation industry with its low-cost, highly fuel efficient vehicle, much like Volkswagen

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Elio debuts test vehicle, but no production car date set

The long and circuitous journey Elio Motors has taken to introduce a high-mileage, three-wheel vehicle, has reached another level with the announced completion of its first E-Series test vehicle. The company, which has touted the $6,800 vehicle for several years and collected deposits from thousands of wannabe buyers, said test vehicle debut is a big step for the launch of the vehicle. The first E-Series vehicle, according to Elio, continues to development of final vehicle. The test vehicle will be “put through a battery of tests that will help refine and finalize the overall design prior to final production.” Elio Motors is planning to build 23 E-Series testing and validation vehicles to test for safety, aerodynamics and durability. Once the

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What else is new? Elio again delays futuristic car debut

Elio Motors has announced another delay. If you’re among the 50,000 people who reserved one of the three-wheel, futuristic-looking machines touted to cost $6,800 and get 84 mph, it won’t arrive until an undisclosed date in 2017. The latest setback seemed eminent since the company’s recent announcement of what appeared to be an appeasement. Elio said it was going to sell 100 of its pre-production models. The press release announcing the sale didn’t include to whom the vehicles would be sold. But the company subsequently said it would sell the vehicle to “fleet customers.” Still, the real model, called the P5, is still in limbo, with the delay announcement added to a growing of setbacks for the start-up and its

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Elio Motors debuts TV commercials for its $6,800 vehicle (video)

Elio Motors has continued its steadfast public relations campaign for its still-pending three-wheel, inexpensive, fuel-efficient vehicle with its first two national television commercials. The 30- and 60-second television spots, titled “Own the Future,” feature sweeping shots of the company’s P4 prototype. Paul Elio, Elio Motors Founder and CEO, talks about his vision to alter the course of society by creating a low-cost, highly fuel-efficient vehicle unlike anything on the road today. According to the press release, “Elio’s goal is to strengthen American manufacturing, create American jobs, provide access to low-cost mobility for millions of people and reduce our overall oil consumption.” The commercials will air on national cable networks, including Animal Planet, ESPN News, ESPNU, Fox Business Network, Fox News,

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Could pending NHTSA rule mean Elio Motors is doomed?

Elio Motors has faced many obstacles, financing to missed deadlines. But it could now be faced with its toughest adversary — the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Elio has touted is three-wheeled, two-seat car and its projected 84 mpg for a few years. But if the NHTSA prevails, the futuristic-looking vehicle won’t be able to be classified as a motorcycle and thus will not circumvent the stricter safety and efficiency regulations that govern cars. As such, Elio would face increased costs and could further delay the expect the first production the vehicle until 2017 — if not indefinitely. Elio Motors had to rely on a “crowdfunding” project last year to help raise the $230 million needed to start production

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Elio Motors set for live debut of $6,800 car at LA Auto Show

The latest prototype of the $6,800, three-wheel vehicle Elio Motors has promoted for several years but has yet to deliver to the public despite a substantial public online reservation investment, will be unveiled in a live video broadcast Nov. 19 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Arizona-based experimental vehicle maker’s prototypes have generated polarizing interest. Its fifth generation vehicle will be introduced at the 10 a.m. press conference. To view the unveiling, visit: ELIO MOTORS/L.A. AUTO SHOW The vehicle’s CAD renderings detail a similar but update version of the car’s previous concepts. The company, building what it’s touting as the cheapest car in the United States in a former General Motors plant in Shreveport, Louisiana, has collected different levels

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