The eagerly-anticipated Elio vehicle recently came a step closer to consumers, as Elio Motors announced that the final stage of engineering has been completed. Crash testing is next, before commercial production begins.

Besides its eye-catching three-wheeled design, the petrol-powered Elio also gets up to 84 mpg (2.8 l/100km) and has a targeted base price of US$6,800. This Thursday, it was announced that the fourth and final stage of engineering was finished, with completion of the chassis design.

The final version of the Elio chassis Elio Motors

That design incorporates a front suspension with unequal upper and lower control arms, utilizing a coil-over shock absorber. The result is a lower profile for better aerodynamics, along with less weight than the commonly-used MacPherson struts. The rear suspension consists of a swing-arm and coil-over shock system.

"Once our E-Series vehicles emerge from the pilot build, the Chassis team will conduct ride and handling development tuning to refine the vehicle's driving characteristics prior to commercial production," says Jeff Johnston, Elio's VP of engineering. "When this real-world and destructive testing is complete, the team will be charged with continual chassis and suspension development for model-year updates."

Source: Elio Motors

