Three-Wheel $6,800 Elio Delayed (Again), Could Be Too Little, Too Late

The three-wheeled $6,800 84 mpg Elio has been delayed yet again, and its time could well have passed. (Photo: Jim Gorzelany)

It sounded like a good idea at the time.
That gravestone-worthy platitude has been attached to many an over-reaching folly over time, and while the Grim Reaper has yet to make a call, Elio Motors – the anti-Tesla, if you will – could well be watching the proverbial parade pass it by.
The official launch of Elio’s tiny three-wheeled, two-seat 84-mpg car has been delayed yet again, with the company now suggesting it will debut sometime during 2017 “at a date to be determined as the company continues to seek additional funding.” In the meantime, the first 100 pre-production models, set to be assembled at the company’s Shreveport, LA factory during the fourth quarter of 2016 (where, ironically, Hummers used to be built), will be offered to one or more fleet buyers, essentially to raise cash in the interim.
Founded by automotive engineer Paul Elio in 2008, the company originally planned to build the curiously cast three-wheeler starting in March 2015 with a starting price of $6,800.
To help put a positive spin on the postponement, the company says the extra time will enable its new engineering partner, Roush, to tweak the Elio, “to provide a quieter, smoother vehicle with refined driving characteristics.” This can only be a good thing, as the prototype we drove (now going on two years ago) was crude at best, with stiff steering and a rough ride that we’d bet would prove unacceptable to 99% of the car-buying public.
“We are chomping at the bit to get started on these 100 vehicles, as it’s an important step in our evolution,” says Gino Raffin, Elio’s vice president of manufacturing. “The work we do on these vehicles will provide important insight that will make for a smooth transition when we begin hiring production workers for the consumer vehicle launch. We’re getting closer every day and we are moving forward with relentless passion to get this done.”
That’s all well and good, but even with money coming in the door from the company’s recent stock offering, and assuming the car does get off the ground sometime next year (and further assuming the feds don’t change the rules in the meantime that classify three-wheeled vehicles as motorcycles and allow them to skirt safety rules and other regulations), the Elio’s time has probably already passed.