What is Paul Elio of Elio Motors doing now?

Paul Elio supposedly sells used cars now.

Earlier in January, I noticed that @ElioMotors’s X/Twitter account was deleted. I noted that their website also happened to be up for renewal soon, too, and, as of last week, ElioMotors.com is 404.

https://t.co/utJf2P8wrZ is 404…again.
Now the game of did they forget to renew their GoDaddy domain name/hosting or are they gone for good begins. https://t.co/FCcEyVmKvI pic.twitter.com/EOq61vvp3b

— Paulo Acoba ???? (@ferio_252) January 19, 2024

This isn’t the first time Elio Motors’s website’s been down. In 2022, Elio Motors also forgot to renew their domain name and the website was down for a couple of days.

This time, however, it seems like Elio Motors’s web presence is gone for good.

But, knowing how Elio Motors seems to come back from the dead with an update of sorts, who knows if this is really the end of Elio Motors.

So, what is Paul Elio up to?

Unsurprisingly, I’m not the only one wondering the same as burned reservation holders and once fans of the three-wheeled car are asking pretty much the same on ElioOwners.com.

Elio Owners forum member DBansFan81 replied to a thread on the matter and found out that Paul Elio registered a business called Renew Automotive Sales based out of Phoenix, AZ.

“Looks like Paul has started a new business this year in June, selling used cars”

“He’s selling cars that are wrecked and fixed back up. They are renewed, not used. Sort of like used and abused but what difference does that make. It’s a big business as many people buy them as they are cheaper than cars not wrecked,” RSchneider replied.

You’ll notice that Paul’s principal address matches the same one he used for Elio Motors (2942 N 24th St. STE 114…)

According to Renew Automotive Sales’s website, Renew buys branded title vehicles, fixes them, and then puts them up for sale.

“A branded title indicates that a car was once declared a total loss or comes with some other major problem” – Investopedia.

Renew’s address is 107 W. Hatcher Blvd. in Phoenix, AZ.

Here’s what that address looked like in 2021 compared to today (the latest street view of that address seems to be from three years ago.)

The latest satellite image seems to show this property was brought back to life as of late.

Renew’s latest inventory found here and here lists between 8–9 cars, crossovers, and SUVs for sale.

It’s not known how involved in the day-to-day operations of Renew Automotive Sales Paul Elio is.

For what it’s worth, Paul has listed himself just as a ‘member’ in the Arizona Corporation Commission’s entity listing. Contrast that to his role as President/CEO of Elio Motors.

So, that’s probably what Paul Elio is up to today, he’s the lead behind Renew Automotive Sales which buys and re-sells branded title vehicles in Phoenix.

Paul Elio is most known for starting Elio Motors in 2009, promising to build a three-wheeled vehicle capable of 84-MPG with an MSRP of around $7,000.

In the 15 years since, although Elio Motors secured more than $28,000,000 from reservation holders, they’ve yet to (probably never will) deliver a single Elio Car to a customer.