Automotive WI – US Microcar Class

Even though post-war US in OTL had little need for Microcars found in Europe and Japan, what if the US managed to establish the necessary regulations beforehand to allow for a more attractive tiered Microcar class of sorts that applies to all 50 US States?

Envisioning the following (albeit rough) ATL Microcar Tiers below:

Tier 1 (Car License with tax breaks / etc) – 4 wheelers of similar length and engine displacement (albeit increased to around 750-798cc) to the Crosley Crosmobile Station Wagon or 1956 GM Cadet “Students Car” concept by Peter Brock (https://bre2.net/the-designs/gm/) as initial US domestic benchmark examples, which can be driven on a full car license yet given tax breaks / etc as a sweetener.

Tier 2 (Motorcycle License) – 2/4-seater 3/4 wheelers of certain dimensions and engine displacement smaller than the Crosley between a Fiat 600 and (non-LS) BMW 700 (around 700-748cc), which can be driven on a motorcycle license without needing a motorcycle helmet as currently the case in OTL (via Elio Autocycle).

Tier 3 (No License) – 2/4-seater 3/4 wheelers of possibly the same dimensions as Tier 2 Microcars yet with lower engine displacements (around 400-698cc) which be driven without a license, essentially a US equivalent of the French VSP (voiture sans permis) class driven by Teenagers over 14/16+, Elderly, Disabled and (as a public humiliation of sorts) those who lost their driving license (who are restricted to 3-wheelers).

One problem is figuring out the appropriate dimension and engine size limits for the US Microcar class to balance it out with foreign Microcars from Europe and Japan, it is also my understanding that vehicles below a certain engine displacement are banned from using US highways in OTL (not sure whether that is indeed the case or not).

- Too large and you create an ATL situation where what is considered a small family car in Europe like the Citroen 2CV and Renault 4CV or Austin A30/A35 and Morris Minor can be driven on a motorcycle license or even without a license in the US if the engine’s displacement on such cars is reduced.

- Too small and you create a situation where US carmakers are reluctant to develop such models, leading to segment retreat where the US Microcar class is dominated by the Europeans and Japanese.

If the article on the 1956 GM Cadet "Students Car" concept by Peter Brock is any indication, it seems that there was some degree of OTL interest by US carmakers in Microcars.
 
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You have created a situation where taxes will have to be levied, sufficiently imposing so that their reduction may be important in a purchase decision.
You have created an imposition on the American Auto Industry, happily pumping out fairly affordable full-size cars.
You have benefited under-age, untrained drivers and drunk drivers who have had their license suspended.
You would cause panic to foreign manufacturers who were swamping the market with Messerschmitt, Heinlel, BMW/Isetta, Gogomobile and Topolino vehicles. It was to be a while before Japanese manufacturers swamped the American market, presaged by the little Honda that could.
I think it was mostly limited-access highways which limited the vehicles using it, thanks to guys like Ike.
The expression "some degree of interest" is interesting because the carmakers were also interested in other concept cars with bubble-tops and huge fins.
 
The US Microcar tiers are a rough guide (the No License tier could perhaps be more punitive and interested in how a workable US Microcar class could work), though the US would need to establish properly defined regulations for any US Microcar class in terms of dimensions / engine size / weight and scrap the OTL requirement for helmets on 3-wheeled vehicles in certain US states.

Had properly defined Microcar regulations been passed in the US it might create a similar situation to what happened in OTL Germany, where Volkswagen were pressed by the government to stop development of the FWD Flat-Twin EA48 prototype because of the negative impact it would have on sales for Microcars from smaller marques such as Goliath and Lloyd. Meaning that the Big 3 carmakers either might not even enter the US Microcar at all except for the smaller carmakers or do so only indirectly possibly via foreign branches. - http://jalopnik.com/vw-almost-designed-the-mini-back-in-1955-1702938661

FWIW the French attitude towards drunk drivers using the No License VSP (voiture sans permis) type Microcars is that it is better they have accidents in such smaller underpowered vehicles instead of regular cars or the typical Land-Yacht and is significantly safer compared to 2-wheelers. Not sure what rural public transport is like in the US, though if it is anything like France where it is no-existent in many rural areas than No License vehicles could potentially be a lifeline to people who for whatever reason are unable to get a full drivers license.
 
In 1966, there were no helmet laws in the US. I had my Bell helmet stolen in Grand Canyon, and rode to LA, Frisco, and back to Toronto without one. The cheapest gas I found was 19.9cents. I was pissed off because I'd just filled up for 20.9. I could have saved 2 cents.

People on American farms either drove the tractor, the pick-up, or the '55 Chevy with not much concern about legalities.
 
Then how did the helmet laws in certain states come about for any 3 or 4 wheeled vehicles capable of being driven on a motorcycle license, given that Elio in OTL has had trouble getting the laws changed for its "Autocycle" and can such laws be butterflied away in an earlier post-war ATL scenario where the US establishes clear Microcar regulations for all 50 states (dependent of course on dimensions, weight and engine size)? - http://www.autoblog.com/2016/07/30/motorcycle-license-drive-elio-trike-helmet/
 
Perhaps it can be the case that ATL US Microcars can be driven on a motorcycle license or similar halfway license below a regular car license so long as it is below a certain size, weight and engine displacement (say 500-798cc) threshold.

With the No License vehicles being a tier below a regular US Microcar with a Motorcycle or halfway License and restricted to say 2-seater 3/4-wheelers (powered by 350-498cc units), fitting the vision of Peter Brock's "Student's Car" idea with the 1956 Cadet that can have additional applications and social uses in the US.

Whether the US Big 3 would involve themselves in this segment is another matter entirely.
 
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Perhaps the best avenue for something like this would be to have (don't know how) the cyclecar [http://www.american-automobiles.com/Cyclecar-Manufacturers.html] survive beyond about 1916 or so. Cyclecars were lightweight two or four passenger cars, often outfitted with two or four cylinder engines (in many cases, motorcycle engines) and had very simple drive systems (many used V-belts). They were, as the name implies, intended to bridge the car / motorcycle gap. Many / most were made on the cheap, assembled from off-the-shelf parts; no manufacturer produced great numbers.
 
Perhaps the best avenue for something like this would be to have (don't know how) the cyclecar [http://www.american-automobiles.com/Cyclecar-Manufacturers.html] survive beyond about 1916 or so. Cyclecars were lightweight two or four passenger cars, often outfitted with two or four cylinder engines (in many cases, motorcycle engines) and had very simple drive systems (many used V-belts). They were, as the name implies, intended to bridge the car / motorcycle gap. Many / most were made on the cheap, assembled from off-the-shelf parts; no manufacturer produced great numbers.

Doubt a pre-war POD is possible though the groundwork for US Microcar regulations can be laid for the post-war period. A combination of having Crosley not vanish and foreign competition might encourage some smaller US manufacturers to get involved.

The idea is to make the Motorcycle or Halfway License US Microcar category more attractive and practical means of transport, with more punitive limitations imposed on the No License Microcar category.

For example someone on a Halfway Microcar License could eventually be upgraded to a full car license after a certain number of years as a responsible driver without any accidents / etc, while the No License category would offer no such perks beyond being a very basic form of small underpowered 2-seater 3-wheeler transportation.
 
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