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The US market doesn't have any real competitors for lightweight. Lotus is the only manufacturer that focuses on this as a design philosophy(that sells in the US, TVR, Ariel, Caparo, Tramontana and a handful of others handle overseas markets).
A base model Civic weighs in around 32-3500 lbs and gets 30 odd mpg. Cut that in half and then cut the engine displacement in half. Might not double the FE, but its going to be alot closer to 60 mpg than not.
But it won't happen. The only individuals who are willing to get into a car that has poor crash test ratings are the ones who want a car that goes very fast. the average person would not buy a car if the competitor came out and said their opponent got 2/5 stars instead of 5/5....
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