Send to a friendJohnny Rocket May 28th, 2007 3:20 PM Link
Meh, I’ll settle with a Noble M400. Of course, I know I would be having the time of my life with the Atom.
Ariel Atom To Get Major Price Increase *Updated*
Written By: Chris Paukert
The ridiculously quick and nimble Ariel Atom is set to get a bit more elusive—by $6,000. According to Bill Feagin over at Brammo Motorsports (the Oregon-based firm that builds the trackday hero) the cost of the standard Atom will rise by a hefty $6k effective June 18. Certain option prices are also set to increase.
As June 17 is Father’s Day, Brammo’s folks seem to suggest that purchasing an Atom in time for Dad’s special day would make for a dandy gift. We quite agree (hint, hint), though the sizeable price increase has caught us a bit off guard. *The company had announced a $4500 price increase last December, but apparently held off on bumping up the price until now.
Brammo cites increased capital outlay toward the Atom’s production process (to keep up with demand), as well as significant investment in workforce size and facilities as part of the reason behind the price increase.
With an increasing number of purist propositions threatening to crowd the marketplace (KTM X-Bow, GTM TR40, etc.), Brammo is wise to continually invest in the Atom’s development, but we hope the extra outlay comes good in the form of a better car and/or ownership experience, because increasing a car’s price by that much is a worrisome tactic in our book, no matter how mind-blowing it actually is…
9 Comments
Don May 28th, 2007 3:51 PM Link
I’m sure the Noble would be a once in a lifetime experience…but the Atom just looks like the most fun you can possibly have outside of sex.
And who cares about a $10,000 price increase? The people who’re buying these things have all kinds of disposable income.
Mark Arnold May 29th, 2007 1:15 PM Link
If I had the money, I would buy this as my only car and drive it for a full year… rain, shine, and snow.
Ray T. May 29th, 2007 5:30 PM Link
As far as the “who cares about $10K” part — I am lucky enough to consider myself very well off. My wife has a 2007 LS460L; I drive a 2007 ML63 AMG. I’ve built and owned Caterham Sevens and have raced fairly extensively.
This car is a very nice and exciting toy. Though spectacular, when you look at how often you can really use it — especially in states where you’ll never get it registered for the street — price does become an issue at some point. I think they’ve just exceeded my threshold for becoming an Atom customer.
Brammo runs a risk here. They’ve obviously been able to sell every car they can build, otherwise they wouldn’t be raising the price. With back-to-back price increases, they run the risk of alienating potential customers, who might get the impression they’re being a tad greedy. Once inital demand is satisfied they may have a much more difficult time selling cars.
My $.02 FWIW
Ariel Atom getting $6,000 price bump | Automotive News May 30th, 2007 8:59 AM Link
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Winding Road » Archive » Unleashed: Ariel Atom 500, as in Horsepower February 28th, 2008 5:00 PM Link
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