Elio Motors announced three guys named Manny, Moe and Jack, aka the Pep Boys, will handle the servicing of its three-wheelers.
Elio Motors’ three-wheeled car took another step toward fruition with the announcement that three guys named Manny, Moe and Jack will handle the servicing needs for future owners.
The yet-to-be-built car’s service needs will be handled by Pep Boys and its 800 locations in 35 states and Puerto Rico. Pep Boys’ locations will service approximately 90% of all Elio Motors’ customers. The company is evaluating service options in remaining markets.
“Providing a convenient and professional service experience is one of the most important elements in creating an overall positive customer ownership experience, so this is a crucial step on our development,” said Paul Elio, CEO of Elio Motors.
Why won’t the dealers take care of the vehicle’s service needs? The maker is following the lead of Tesla Motors by planning to sell its $6,800 vehicle through 60 company-owned stores. The partnership with Pep Boys is the second move this year that the company has taken to push the company toward its target of getting the three-wheeler on the road sometime next year.
In February, it contracted with Italy’s Comau to pull together the manufacturing operations at an old GM plant in Shreveport, Louisiana.
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Elio describes the new car as “the next big thing in transportation.” It features two wheels up front and one in the back. It will offer three airbags, with the company aiming to earn a five-star federal crash rating.
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But the big selling point could be the promise of fuel economy of as much as 84 miles per gallon using a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder, 70-horsepower gasoline engine. City mileage is expected to come in at 49 mpg once the Elio is formally rated by the EPA. The car is expected to launch from zero to 60 in about 10 seconds.
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Such bold promises may be generating enthusiasm among green-minded motorists – and in Shreveport, which was hammered by the closure of the old GM plant and could use the promised 1,500 new jobs — but there are plenty of skeptics elsewhere. Elio began taking deposits ranging from $100 to $1,000 for the car in December and claims to already have more than 15,800 reservations on its books.