$6,800 Elio Motors Vehicle Takes Step Closer to Reality

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana — The $6,800 Elio Motors three-wheeled vehicle took a step closer to reality on Thursday with word that the start-up company has agreed to buy a former General Motors assembly plant near Shreveport, Louisiana to build the vehicle.

Elio Motors said it expects to begin commercial vehicle production in mid-2014 "with significant hiring at the Shreveport facility to begin by the second quarter of 2014."

Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the spring.

Elio Motors said its quirky-looking two-seater will achieve a highway mileage rating of more than 80 mpg.

The company said it has begun taking reservations for the car on its Web site for as little as $100, but as of Friday morning, the Web site apparently had crashed.

"We generated so much site traffic, Web host thought we were under a cyber attack!" Elio Motors tweeted.

A YouTube video of the car said it will be equipped with three airbags and power accessories. It also underscored that the vehicle will be American made.

Elio Motors' Facebook page does not provide vehicle specifications, leaving consumers to post comments such as "how fast will it go" and "how many horsepower?"

Edmunds says: More motorcycle than car, the Elio Motors vehicle is generating lots of buzz.