Quote:
Originally Posted by Arragonis
There are a number of issues here.
Firstly the engine spec - 55hp from a 1.0 is pish poor - no, it really really is these days. E.g. the Toyota 1KRFE engine is 1.0 litres and has VVTI which means it pulls from low revs - I know, I used to drive one. It makes 68hp. It also happens to be the lightest car engine in the world. It was engine of the year a few years ago too. I doubt this specialist unit will make that.
Secondly having a specialist engine sucks in terms of parts to fix it, either in retail form or from scrap yards - have you heard ecomodders are cheap ? Using the above engine again as an example I can find 3 on ebay.co.uk right now, all less that £500 and with warranties. There are also about 800K cars with the same engine running around - some of them crash, a shame but their engine is then spare.
Thirdly a specialist maker is less likely to be able to respond to global regulations, like ECE (Europe) or Japan - as quickly or as completely as VAG, Toyota, Nissan etc. These emissions limits are being unified too which means we all might have to meet Japanese standards some day.
Mind you this vehicle wouldn't pass EU safety tests anyway.
And finally using a single maker who doesn't really care about your product as a supplier is no worse than putting your eggs in one risky financial basket. A worked example - the Lotus 7 is still being made today. At launch it used a UK only Ford sidevalve engine or the UK only A-Series. Neither engine is made today, but I can still buy a Caterham. Similar rule applies to Morgan...
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I myself, wouldn't mind finding a wrecked Scion iQ and pulling the power train out of it. I'm sure with a little fabrication you could fit it into just about any small/lightweight car.
While the Elio is a fantastic option, I'd love to see a high-milage and low cost 4 or 5 passenger vehicle!
