The $6,800, 84-mpg Elio

Elio Motors is a brand new car manufacturer with a brand new car.

The prototype is bright orange, has one door, three wheels and two seats. With 49 MPG in the city, 84 MPG on the highway and a $6,800 sticker price, the Elio is going to make driving a car far more affordable for many people. The real kicker, it will be made in the USA.

The founder and CEO is Paul Elio, an automotive engineer. His motivation was the American people who were struggling with keeping their tanks full and paying high prices for gasoline. The car is being marketed as an additional vehicle meant for commutes, but with that low price, people who cannot afford a car, let alone the gas to run one, will be a little more likely to be able to make the purchase. The Elio will be built in Shreveport, Louisiana, at a plant that formerly belonged to General Motors, but was sloughed off during the company’s bankruptcy.

Elio, with headquarters in Troy, Michigan, made a pledge to generate 1,500 jobs upon purchasing the automotive plant. In a recent statement, Elio said that America is still the best country in which to build a complicated product like an automobile. He said that is because the infrastructure and labor force of skilled workers still exists. Elio wants to also prove that a truly affordable vehicle can be produced in the USA.

According to Jerome Vassallo, vice president of sales, one of the ways the manufacturer is keeping the costs low is by using off-the-shelf parts that other car makers use. The engine will be built from their own parts.

Because the Elio has less than four wheels, it is technically classified as a motorcycle. In some states, that may mean that drivers of the Elio will need a motorcycle license.

Also, Vassallo points out, motorcycle insurance is much cheaper than car insurance. Plus, there is the potential perk of being allowed to drive in the lane for carpools. Read more.