Coming to our road soon enough: "Elio", a motorcycle

Not your child's wind-up toy car

Three wheels, bigger than a golf cart,
road ready

San Francisco Chronicle/Associated Press//Dee-Ann Durbin, auto writer, 8/17/14. "Three-wheeled Elio gets closer to going on sale."

"Phoenix-based Elio plans to start making the cars next fall at a former General Motors plant in Shreveport, Louisiana. Already, more than 27,000 people have reserved one. Elio hopes to make 250,000 cars a year by 2016. That's close to the number Mazda sells in the U.S. 

Because it has three wheels — two in front and one in the rear — the Elio is actually classified as a motorcycle by the U.S. government. But Elio Motors founder Paul Elio says the vehicle has all the safety features of a car, like anti-lock brakes, front and side air bags and a steel cage that surrounds the occupants. Drivers won't be required to wear helmets or have motorcycle licenses.

The Elio's two seats sit front and back instead of side by side, so the driver is positioned in the center with the passenger directly behind. That arrangement, plus the low seating position — the Elio is just 54 inches tall — and the lack of power steering take a little getting used to."  Read article.

But I think safer to play with me

Reference - Elio Motors website.  From "About", "Elio history, how it all began.  Must Have’s for the Elio Brand:  84 MPG Highway; Engineered to the highest safety standard; American made; $6800."  Elio Motors promotion You Tube videos.

Related - Fast Company. "This three-wheeled car costs just $6,800 and goes 672 miles on a tank of gas."  Most Americans--about 93%--drive to work alone. So why use a car that’s big enough for four? A new vehicle that’s half-motorcycle and half-car is designed to replace sedans and SUVs on morning commutes and help save money and emissions in the process: The Elio costs $6,800 and gets 84 miles to the gallon. It’s possible to drive 672 miles on a single tank of gas. That's the distance from New York City to Detroit."

Related -  The Car Connection, the Elio height at 54 inches is about the same as a Mini Cooper at 54.251 inches tall. 

Note photographs:  Elico frontal view from the related Fast Company article. Elico in traffic by Paul Sancya/AP from the the San Francisco Chronicle/AP article, #6 of 6 slides.  Wind-up hand grenade from Rock Genius.

Posted by Kathy Meeh