Future owners of the Elio three-wheeled car can use ePlus to add options to the vehicle.

Startup vehicle manufacturer Elio Motors Inc., which plans to launch a three-wheeled vehicle getting up to 84 miles per gallon, unveiled plans for ePlus that will allow customers interested in owning one of the firm’s edgy vehicles a way to personalize it to suit their individual taste.

“The current options system is broken at many levels,” said Elio Motors founder and CEO Paul Elio.

“Traditionally if a customer wants one particular option, they have to accept three or four other options as part of the package, and that seriously limits customer choice and drives up cost to the customer. Much of the technology forced on customers, such as navigation or media equipment becomes antiquated in six months or less,” he said.

The vision of ePlus is to deliver a well-equipped base model, but provide customers the capability to personalize the vehicle with options based on their own unique driver experience. In addition, the customer will be able to add to their vehicle through a personalized website called myelio.me as new options are brought to market by Elio Motors’ supplier network.

(Elio selling 100 preproduction models to raise cash. For more, Click Here.)

The system envisioned by Elio will mimic the smart phone industry, where customers purchase a base phone, and continually add Apps to customize their user experience. It also will encourage automotive suppliers to bring new options and technology to market, much like app developers create new tools for smart phones.

“Suppliers all over the globe have created really cool content for vehicles that never see the light of day because of an antiquated packaging system and we want to change that,” Elio said during a presentation at the New York International Auto Show.

“Our ePlus system will help our suppliers unleash their entrepreneurial capabilities, which are often stifled under the current system,” he added.

The three-wheeled Elio is engineered to attain a highway mileage rating of up to 84 mpg, while providing the comfort of amenities such as power windows, power door lock and air conditioning accompanied by the safety of multiple air bags and an aerodynamic, enclosed vehicle body.

(Click Here for details about Elio Motors national advertising campaign.)

As a start-up, Elio has scored some major successes in recruiting an impressive list of skilled suppliers to contribute to the project.

However, it has also suffered its share of setbacks. Fund-raising has been difficult and it recently announced it was selling off 100 prototypes to help raise capital and pushed back the start of production until 2017.

At the same time, it has brought in a top-drawer engineering firm, Roush, to help with the engineering of the production vehicle.

Roush, a full-service product development supplier headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, outside of Detroit, provides testing, prototype and manufacturing services to the transportation industry such as Ford Motor Co. It also provides significant support to the aerospace, defense and theme park industries.

(Elio opens stock offering to the public. For more, Click Here.)

Roush is a subsidiary of Roush Enterprises, Inc., parent company of Roush Fenway Racing; Roush Performance, developer and manufacturer of performance vehicles and products for the automotive aftermarket; and Roush CleanTech.