[Silveredwings]

The aptera looks like an aircraft to me. I also see other parallels.

Like 4-wheel cars, it's very expensive to get a fully FAA-certified aircraft to market. During general aviation's darkest time, many companies like Beech, Piper, and Cessna struggled (who knows how many failed altogether). At that same time, some new companies put themselves on the map by producing kit-aircraft, thereby flying under the certification radar. The more successful of those kit aircraft companies went on to make fully certified part-91 normal, utility and aerobatic category planes.

In a similar way as kits, 3-wheel 'car' designs enable a company to avoid a whole pile of regulations and testing.