Most families have two cars, they don't really need both to seat 5 passengers. At least one of them can be a dedicated commuter car, plus light duties of weekly grocery shopping. If Toyota make a Two seats hybrid, with less than 2000 lb, 1.0 engine, and 75 mpg, optimized for hypermilling, for $16000, I'll buy it in a heartbeat. Especially for long commuters of 100 + miles per day, that will be a dream car. Your take?
There is little fuel economy or cost penalty for making a car long enough to make it a 4 seater instead of a 2 seater. Two seaters don't make sense in North America except as a statement. They are of some utility in crowded European and Asian cities.
How well have 2 seater cars sold in the US, esp. ones that aren't sports cars? Take a look at Smart at 2012 - Don't Call It A Comeback Edition . (Smart's been on a weird roller coaster in sales, see By the Numbers - 2010: The Year After That Really Bad Year Edition and 2011: Onward and Upward Edition [UPDATE] ). Take a look at Scion iQ at Toyota | December 2012 and Year-End Sales Chart.
Yup, and what two seaters gain from a little less weight they lose do to poorer aerodynamics. That's one of the reasons a Smart's fuel economy isn't what a lot of people think it should be.
That's true. What about a one seat? Or passenger behind driver? That will cut width by 60%, reduce frame weight as well as strength due to smaller size. Better if make it Aptera style. 75mpg at 65 mph possible?
I'm not sure if anyone's been keeping track of how the Smart unit of Mercedes is doing as I'm not but from 05 Dark Days at Daimler - Businessweek: From September 2012 at Mercedes Falling behind Competitors Despite Strategy Changes - SPIEGEL ONLINE: And, what happened to Aptera? How did that work out for them?
If you are willing to go single seater on 2 wheels, the Craig Vetters work has shown your target is easily beat on a fully streamlined motorcycle 2012 Las Vegas to Barstow Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge, streamlined motorcycles, motorcycle design
BTW, if you want look at 2-seater sports cars sales, look at these, for example: http://media.gm.com/content/dam/Media/gmcom/investor/2012/Deliveries-December-2012.pdf - for Corvette Nissan North America Sales Increase 9.5 Percent in 2012 - U.S. Sales Reports - Nissan Online Newsroom - for 350Z MAZDA ACHIEVES BEST YEAR OF SALES SINCE 2007, BEST DECEMBER SINCE 1994 - Jan 3, 2013 - for Miata Notice they don't sell in large numbers either?
WOW, if motocycle can get 80 mpg with poor aerodynamics, a one seater Prius might get 100 mpg. Isn't that the best commuter car? I mean, 4 seater car is safer than motocycle after all.
For some people...yes. For most Americans....no. It would be wonderful if we could get most irrational commuters to drive something other than a monster SUV for one person's intercity haul to and from work....much less something smart.
Are you kidding me? All these posts and no one realizes you just described the 1st gen Honda Insight? You got it correct to the 73 mpg. It was the first mass market hybrid in America but the 1st gen Prius still took the limelight despite coming out 2 years later than the Insight. 2 seaters don't work in open rural areas. I see no compelling reasons to give up rear seats when the iQ, Smart, or even the 1st gen Insight give me only slightly better fuel economy than a Prius C but costs the same money. Having said that, if I could get an 2 seater EV for a $16k. Now, that would be compelling. Unfortunately, the electric iQ and the electric Spark are both maintaining the status quo of less than 100 miles range.
