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posted by janrinok on Tuesday August 16 2016, @11:08PM   Printer-friendly
from the can-I-touch-one-yet? dept.

Elio Motors has locked in the base price of $7300 for non-refundable reservation holders for their 84mpg 3-wheel "autocycle". Reservations can be made for as little as $100 or as much as $1000 with higher values getting priority delivery when they go into production. The price is above the $6800 target that had been quoted for the last few years, but those who are willing to make a binding commitment to purchase a vehicle can sign an additional online form to knock their price back down to $7000. The locked-in prices will be available until they reach a total of 65,000 reservations (~57,000 have been made to date).

The startup car company is attempting to disrupt the auto industry by producing an efficient, affordable vehicle similar to what VW did with the $1699 Beetle in 1968, but at an even more affordable price (the Beetle cost $11,768 in 2016 dollars)

The vehicle itself, while technically a motorcycle under federal law, is controlled like a car with a steering wheel and pedals. Most states have enacted legislation exempting such vehicles from the extra license endorsements or helmet requirements that motorcycles and trikes normally need. Standard features of the base model include an enclosed cabin with A/C, heat, cruise control and power windows & door lock.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:28AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:28AM (#388988)

    It's not even an obscure reference when the song peaked at #2 and has been all over the radio this year.

    Don't hesitate to reply by telling us all about how you never listen to mainstream music because such mundane commoner tripe is beneath you.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:42AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:42AM (#388990)

    So you are insinuating that a metric used for judging the relative popularity of one song among all other mainstream music is relevant to the desires of USian society at large for cheap enclosed transport vehicles.

    Well, good for you. Remember to buy the new iPhone and keep working hard to make payments on your mortgage, credit cards, car loan, and student loans while mocking the potential for cheap, efficient personal transportation.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @05:47AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @05:47AM (#389014)

      cheap, efficient personal transportation

      Fuck you illiterate fucking asshole.

      "too expensive for the bama ecomony unless your marketing exclusively to yuppie scum"

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @06:31AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @06:31AM (#389023)

        Your opinion is so very obviously not law of either the legislative nor economic type.

        The fact that you're claiming a $7300 pseudocar is "too expensive" when the closest comparable alternative is - wait for it - more expensive in terms of sticker price (and presumably operating costs) should clue you in to how dumb your opinion sounds when read aloud. Try it.

        Now, a very reasonable criticism is that some of the poorest USian people also happen to be among the fattest, which could for them pose a serious barrier to entry. Literally. Could you wedge yourself into a twenty-inch seat?