To address the most obvious question, the answer?s no. This enclosed, three-wheel motorcycle from an unheard-of brand cannot make major waves in the new-car market. But the vehicle?s founder and designer, Paul Elio, isn?t building it for the average buyer.
?We would get our ass handed to us there,? he says about competing with established automakers. Among used cars, however, ?I?d think we?d play very well.? As used-car inventories swell in response to record U.S. car sales and Americans keep their older vehicles running longer, Elio thinks he?ll be able to swoop into this segment and ?literally give cars away.?
Call It an Autocycle
The 900-cc Elio (there is no formal model name) is a single-doored, front-engine, front-wheel-drive ?autocycle? that can be driven without a motorcycle license in 41 states. It fits two people, tandem-style, and is said to weigh just over 1200 pounds. The aluminum-block three-cylinder SOHC gasoline engine is Elio?s construction, too, with all 55 horsepower and 55 lb-ft of its might routed through a five-speed Aisin manual or automatic.
Its eight-gallon tank, at a projected 84 miles per gallon, would provide 672 miles of range. Although it’s not required, the Elio comes equipped with traction control, stability control, ABS, and three airbags. Elio is so confident about his vehicle?s safety that he plans to run it through the same battery of government crash tests as regular cars and publish the results. The price: $6800 to start, inc...