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Elio Motors unveiled its P5, the company’s fifth-generation enclosed three-wheeled prototype, at a Los Angeles Auto Show news conference on November 19, 2015. Its headline feature was a 0.9-liter, three-cylinder engine developed by IAV specifically for Elio. The performance, fuel-economy, price and launch figures announced alongside it were company projections and targets—not verified production results.
What Elio revealed at the auto show
The November 19, 2015 presentation introduced the P5 to the public as Elio Motors’ fifth-generation prototype. The company’s announcement described it as an enclosed three-wheeled vehicle. Elio CEO Paul Elio said the company was proud to unveil the prototype at the show.
The public reveal followed an earlier development milestone: an SEC-filed company document says the P5 was announced on June 8, 2015. That document describes the vehicle as having improved aerodynamics, an updated interior and a production-intent drivetrain featuring an IAV-developed prototype engine and an Aisin transmission. The June date refers to the program/build announcement, not the November auto-show unveiling.
Why the P5’s engine mattered
The P5 was the first Elio prototype to feature the company-specific engine: a 0.9-liter, three-cylinder unit designed for Elio Motors by engine developer IAV. Elio said it had not found an existing engine that met its desired combination of speed, power and efficiency. An advance notice before the show described the engine as developed by IAV specifically for Elio.
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A company-related technical document dated July 11, 2016 described the engine as a 55-horsepower, 900cc (0.9-liter), three-cylinder design that was liquid-cooled and fuel-injected. Those are the engine specifications stated in that document; they do not establish independently tested performance for a production vehicle.
What Elio projected for performance, price and launch
Elio’s November 2015 announcement attached the following figures to its plans for the vehicle. They were company projections or targets at the time, not independently verified results.
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| Figure | What Elio said in 2015 | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy | Up to 84 MPG highway | Company projection |
| Top speed | More than 100 MPH | Company projection |
| Acceleration | 0 to 60 MPH in 9.6 seconds | Company projection |
| Base price | $6,800 | Company target price |
| Launch | Late 2016 | Company target date |
A later company-related technical document from July 2016 repeated the 84-MPG, over-100-MPH and 9.6-second figures as projected vehicle specifications. The cited materials do not provide independent test results confirming those claims.
How Elio said the P5 changed from the P4
In its November release, Elio described several design revisions relative to the preceding P4 prototype. These are changes the company announced, rather than independent evaluations of the design:
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What the announcement does—and does not—establish
The sources establish that Elio unveiled the P5 in November 2015, highlighted its IAV-developed engine and published ambitious performance, price and launch goals. They do not establish that the P5 entered production, that it achieved the projected figures, or that it became a retail vehicle. The announcement is evidence of what Elio said at the time, not proof of a production outcome.
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