The Rivian...
 

So, I was listening to NPR and they started talking to a guy who has a start up car company in Florida. From what he said their first car is going to be a 2+2 sports car, mid engine and priced from the mid $20's. Color me intrigued...

I found their website: http://www.rivian.com/fun-to-drive/

and the link to the print version of the NPR Article: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/11/137677...usands-jobless

From the article:

In Rockledge, another company is taking the Space Coast in a different direction: designing and manufacturing a new type of car called the Rivian.

R.J. Scaringe is the 28-year-old CEO of a start-up car company. At the company's headquarters, he shows off what he calls Rivian's launch vehicle: a sleek sports car he expects to have on the road by the end of 2013.

"As you can see, it's a two-plus-two configuration, so a four-passenger vehicle set up with rear wheel drive, mid-engine," he says. "So really, truly a performance vehicle. Very aggressive looks in terms of the styling. We tried to go for a look that gets you excited looking at it."

Scaringe says it was built not just for style and performance, but also with fuel efficiency in mind. This model gets more than 60 miles per gallon and will be priced as he says, in the mid-$20,000 range.

http://www.rivian.com/wp-content/upl...010/10/car.jpg

So he left Avera Motors to start up his own car company? There was a show on Discovery about them and their goal to use diesel hybrid to get about 90mpg. If I remember correctly, performance wasn't their goal but maybe it has shifted.

That is interesting. Wonder what kinda of financial backing they have. Also, what kind of a dealer network will they be able to setup for sales + post-sales maintenance/warranty. It sure sounds nice, but for a small start up it seems hard to get into a game with the big guys. Just look at Panoz who tailored more towards higher end sports cars. Sure a 2+2 MR car that gets 60mpg sounds great for mid $20k, however color me skeptical. I have read about many small startups that aim for the moon, only to fizzle later on. I wish them the best and hopefully they can bring to market what they plan on doing.

...60mpg from a non hybrid sports car ...i might hold off on the 86 until I hear a lil more about this thing especially if they're going to be about the same price

Hopefully they'll gain some sponsorship to help fund them since they'll probably won't last with the CEO's bank account.

A small group of engineers developing a car that will fit the budget, offers a good bang for the buck and 60+ MPG. Part of me has a little more faith in this company compared to a new company like Tesla who tried to enter the market but has seen failure.

There a segment on HD Theater about a guy named Michael Czysz who dreamt about building his own motorcycle in his garage only to compete with the big guys.

The show documents the trials and tribulations that he is currently going through; a completely new engine configuration, new suspension design etc. The guy is a pure engineering genius but once it entered the track, all theories aside and that is where most of his failures occurred! Now his priorites seemed to have shifted to electric power, now has sponsorship from Segway and is going that route. He keeps on pursuing, keeps on testing, keeps on trying to perfect his motorcycle. Much respect for that!

http://www.motoczysz.com/

Another soon to fail car start up... Or an investment scam.

^ Yup, that is what I was thinking Dimman. Not that I don't wish a company like this to do well, but if it was that easy to make a 2+2 sporty car that gets 60mpg for $20k, seems like someone would have done it already. Hell Subaru with Toyota will hopefully pull out 30mpg with the new FT86 engine. Seems crazy that a 60mpg sporty engine could be had in a car for $20k. But then I guess you could go into all the conspiracy theories about how the auto industry is in bed with the oil companies and how they killed the electric car....etc.

May also end up being automotive vaporware like the Moller Sky Car

Sounds more like an investment scam. Shotty Engines!

What ever happend to that thing. I've been waiting since 9th grade to see flying cars.

He's still at it.... http://www.moller.com/

There is one already out: Terrafugia Transition


http://www.terrafugia.com/

Just got approved NHTSA.

I saw one that is a mix of a dune-buggy and powered parachute. I even think it had a Subaru boxer motor in it. I'll post a link if I find one.

http://www.automotto.com/entry/maver...ed-flying-car/