Elio Motors $7,000 84-mpg car inches closer toward production.
The three wheeled 55 horsepower beast you see pictured above sports a 0.9-liter inline three cylinder engine capable of achieving a 100-mph top speed, as well as an astounding 84-mpg or 672 mile range on the eight gallon fuel tank on board. Being it doesn’t have a fourth wheel it can’t be considered a car, therefore I believe it would be insured as a motorcycle, which at least for me has always been WAY cheaper than my car. Even though it doesn’t have four wheels, it does have two seats. However you will see in the video at the bottom that the back seat would only be appropriate for a child seat, small child, a backpack, or maybe a few bags of groceries. While the tandem three-wheeler won’t make its original projected summer of 2014 start, the 1.5 million sq ft of space the company just rented in the now former General Motors Shreveport Assembly and Stamping Plant will give them not only the space but also the equipment to begin nearly immediately. To make things even more convenient for Elio, the company also said some of the remaining 2.6 million sq ft of space at the at the General Motors plant may be rented by its very own suppliers.
Paul Elio, CEO and founder of Elio Motors was very optimistic when speaking and was quoted saying “We’ve had an incredible amount of momentum, which has led us to a new plant that will be the foundation for building the new vehicle. Plus, we also raised over $7 million to help us move forward.” So basically everything is going swimmingly for this up and coming car maker, which I am glad to hear. I want to see this thing make it to its new production date.
Another huge boon is to the Shreveport area in Louisiana where the factory is located. An estimated 1,500 jobs will be ceated as a result of opening the plant for production. I am really excited to see this type of innovation in the car market, both for the creativity in design, as well as the astonishing fuel economy and range. It may not be the hottest or fastest car in town, but you are guaranteed to stand out just the same driving it. I imagine if they do well with the initial run, they will only refine the look to be better over the coming years as new models are released like any other car. Imagine if a few years down the road they released a turbo model pushing 150-hp with upgraded suspension for something like ten or eleven thousand dollars? Maybe add a thousand or two more and get a more aggressive body kit and racing wheels? Before you know it they could be in the same league as the T-REX or maybe make a smaller vehicle more in line with a can-am Spyder. Either way I like where they are headed and wish them good luck going forward. Here is a video to get a better feel for it.
Ben Johnson
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