Yeah, you could google Microcar yourself, but I want to put in a good word for the concept here. High gas mileage cars and motorcycles seem like a good thing.
It seems like a good idea if folks who drive quite a bit all had a thrifty car that got at least 50mpg. If they wanted a motorcycle, and also zipped around quite a bit, one of those that got 100mpg would be a good start. (Motorfreaks who have occasional special needs could use gulpier vehicles for those.)
Microcars and small/tiny motos/scooters/mopeds will meet those mileage standards most of the time—even vintage models. If you get any bit bigger, though, out the window they go. (Most small 250cc motorcycles get only 55mpg, the best gets 65.)
For those who bring up the safety question I suggest that skill is nearly the entirety of safety. Brushing up there will help you more than any airbag.
It’s interesting to me that not much is being done in the USA/Euro in microcars. There’s the Mini and Smart car (weighs as much as a Beetle). Then?
OK, we have Ford Aspires and Festivas—cool. What’s a mini anyway? And why? Well, there’s a whole chart for these things. But what does that matter for non-hobbyists… Size is only one factor. To me, high mileage is more important. But in urban areas size is a big deal. Of course, size relates to laws, too—but the whole concept is so underused here in the USA that I suspect one could slip between several categories without much trouble. (In all my riding with my fullyfaired HPV on main roads at 30+mph no LE ever asked me what size engine I was sportin’.)
Japan is up to speed — they have the “kei car” scene. Check it out—that’s my main wiki link here.
Microcars in the US still seem to be mostly the territory of the vintage buffs, a la the photo I use of the classic BMW Isetta. (Its owner says it works great, is zippy around town, is good for country roads—not freeways—and gets 55mpg. Even though it’s 40 yrs old. Where’s the new one?) So, here ya go: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcar.
Then there’s city cars: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_car
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keicar
