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Most cars of the Hybrid/Plug in variety do not offer a manual transmission. I read somewhere that the Smart car could not offer a stick, because it was so small that there was not room for a clutch pedal. Check out this new micro car called the Elio. You can get this one with a 5 speed. Link:
http://www.eliomotors.com/

Bill B wrote:Most cars of the Hybrid/Plug in variety do not offer a manual transmission. I read somewhere that the Smart car could not offer a stick, because it was so small that there was not room for a clutch pedal. Check out this new micro car called the Elio. You can get this one with a 5 speed. Link:
http://www.eliomotors.com/

I have a hard time believing that a clutch pedal can't fit into a smart car. I mean, how tight is the footwell? A clutch pedal doesn't take up all that much space. Ironically, the transmission in a smart car is actually a Borg Warner automated manual.

if a clutch pedal cann fit that means there is no space for the left foot either. If there was no space for left foot, no one wouod buy that car. There is always space for a clutch pedal.

Bill B wrote:Most cars of the Hybrid/Plug in variety do not offer a manual transmission. I read somewhere that the Smart car could not offer a stick, because it was so small that there was not room for a clutch pedal. Check out this new micro car called the Elio. You can get this one with a 5 speed. Link:
http://www.eliomotors.com/

That's an interesting idea. There was another company a couple of years ago that came out with a 3 wheeler design, but I'm drawing a blank on the name. They ran into funding problems if memory serves.

And it is neither a hybrid nor a plug in, just a small 70 HP motor. How many people can it seat, though?

Squint wrote:That's an interesting idea. There was another company a couple of years ago that came out with a 3 wheeler design, but I'm drawing a blank on the name. They ran into funding problems if memory serves.

And it is neither a hybrid nor a plug in, just a small 70 HP motor. How many people can it seat, though?

Looks like it's a single-seater, just like the Corbin Sparrow to which I believe you're referring.

IMBoring25 wrote:

Squint wrote:That's an interesting idea. There was another company a couple of years ago that came out with a 3 wheeler design, but I'm drawing a blank on the name. They ran into funding problems if memory serves.

And it is neither a hybrid nor a plug in, just a small 70 HP motor. How many people can it seat, though?

Looks like it's a single-seater, just like the Corbin Sparrow to which I believe you're referring.

After some googling, I found my misplaced name! The Aptera. Check out this wikipedia article. The company finally folded in December 2011.

I did read that about no room for the clutch pedal, but I guess you cannot believe everything you read on the internet. Here is a link to a discussion on the Smart forums about the transmission. http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums ... sion-1046/

There was another 3 wheel vehicle made in China called the Snyder that comes in a 5 speed. The Elio looks to be of better build quality, but you really cannot tell just from the photos.

AHTOXA wrote:if a clutch pedal cann fit that means there is no space for the left foot either. If there was no space for left foot, no one wouod buy that car. There is always space for a clutch pedal.