It's embarrassing how you are against the south. Last time I checked, they are open for business and literally bend over backwards to get business to be located there. Be it a startup or established business. You have provided zero evidence that Elio Motors can't receive the investment they need just because they have leased a plant in Shreveport. It sounds like you are dancing around the subject because you have an ulterior motive and are afraid to express it.
So now we are back to Mexico. All of a sudden now it's back on the table. Please provide a reason as to why it's the place to go. Do not go off on the south or start babbling on about some land war or bloodbath with Asia or whatever you posted before.
Also, if buyers were turning away from Americans cars, then explain why American startups like Rivian and Lucid are building their cars right here in the USA. Why is Tesla (American car company) building a new plant in Austin? If it was true that buyers were turning away from American cars, those companies would be building outside the US. Mexico would make much more sense and plus those companies would need to remove their ownership from the US too. Yet they are not. They are doing exactly the opposite of your speculation. Why is that?
Plus, Elio was a great idea but there are many reasons why it was not able to get the funding.
1. Being a three wheeler. Those are just for the quirky crowd and thus sell in low numbers in America. Not a single one has ever sold in the range that Elio needed (250K/year).
2. Relating to #1, the reservation rate showed people were not as interested as Elio thought. It took over 4 years to amass 65K reservations.
3. Bad business decisions early on. Elio spent way too much on getting that plant and equipment, then working overtime to change helmet laws. All while letting the product left on the back burner and not developed.
4. Over promising. He promised that they would be in production by June 2014 and exporting to china by the end of the decade. When you make grandiose claims like that, you'll get burned when you do not live up to at least 50% of them. Plus, I don;t know of a single person in the automotive business that thinks Elio can make a $7450 car. Thus, investors see that and realize that price was way too low. Then the 84 mpg became up to 84. 5 star crash rating became engineered to the highest standards. Then the Elio engine became some mystery engine. Then the gas version became electric.
5. Racking up debt because of #3. They will be at $230M in debt by the end of this year. All while Paul pays himself $250K and in 2020, they even got $110K in PPP money.
Why would anyone want to invest in (using your words) a shaky startup?
