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Old 04-19-2021, 02:06 PM   #64 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,527

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 54.46 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 65.39 mpg (US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5 View Post
The problem with the Aptera is that it's a sub-economy car with a price tag that doesn't match. People needing such efficient transportation for financial reasons who are also willing to sacrifice utility will not be able to afford the initial purchase price.

The other demographic is diehard efficiency geeks, but that is a tiny percent of the population. Rarely do I find someone more interested in efficiency than me (1 in 10,000 maybe?), but even I won't buy this vehicle. It's extremely niche, which doesn't necessarily mean a product isn't viable, but poses extra hurdles to profitability. No economies of scale, and you've got to market to just the right people.

Good arguments.

It would be a less expensive version of the VW XL1.

But it's so futuristic looking, some rich people would undoubtedly buy it as a toy regardless of drivetrain or efficiency. But that market is also tiny.
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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
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Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



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