[bhtooefr]

Really, the Elio makes me wonder how a Geo Metro-donor kit car would do.

Of course, being a kit car, the safety standards go away, and the emissions standards are engine donor model year, not current model year, so then it can be 4-wheel... and if you've got 4 wheels, you don't need the engine up front for stability any more... and then you can go to a more Edison2-like layout (the catch being that the stock engine positioning puts the exhaust very close to the back seat and makes it quite tall, but a bellhousing adapter (or maybe a custom bellhousing) could rotate the engine over to 75 degrees forward of vertical, then you've got a low load floor, the exhaust is kept away from the seat, and the center of gravity is dropped).

Edit: Oh, re: the whole pricing thing, I'd argue that using a Honda isn't exactly the best bet, given that Honda is known for particularly high pricing in the US.

A Hyosung GT250R is $3799 in the US, and no, it's nowhere near as nice of a bike as the CBR250R, but it's in the same class. Compare to the GT250R in India, at 2.75 lakh, or $4561 - MORE expensive in India. And, expecting Honda or Kawasaki quality out of the Elio is probably asking a bit much.