True, and those style points come with a hefty price tag. I think the Elio could be pretty nice as a practical little ride for in-town trips and such. Just thought it was interesting. I wonder if it really holds up well though.
You're right. It is very practical for suburban living. I do hope they succeed. Based on perusing their website with pictures of their factory, the investment they've made is substantial.
Low gas prices will hurt demand. I drive a lot and could save money. If I keep my current vehicle (because I need passenger capacity too) I could pay for this car in gas savings in about 2.3 years if I always got top mpg. Not sure how many lifetime miles for the car, but would need 200k to see significant savings. Interesting this car also has a top speed of 100mph which kind of surprised me. I live 35 miles from work and drive alone 85% of the time so being able to drive 70mph would be appealing to me while getting 80mpg.
I could see it as a useful second vehicle. Might be a lot of fun too, definitely get some looks on the street.
This could easily be my first vehicle with something Biodiesel as a second for more capacity. I could only use that second car once or twice in a month. I commute about 8 miles to work, 16 round trip. That may become 4 round trip in the near future. By far my biggest expense is gas which is not that bad to begin with. This just puts it on ice.