Introduced on Tuesday: Wikispeed SGT01 prototype  Is it real? A SGT01 with body, chassis, interior and suspension was shown to the press, and while the show car lacked a powertrain, we were invited to the company’s Michigan plant to ride in a running prototype. The proposed lightweight sedan would reportedly be capable of 100 m.p.g. Whether the SGT01 becomes available to the motoring public as a turn-key automobile is unclear, but the company founder, Joe Justice, and his team of 52 volunteer employees in six countries aspire to that.  What they said: Originally developed on a shoestring budget for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize competition, the four-passenger vehicle is built on an extruded aluminum chassis with a simple geometric shape. In what Mr. Justice described as simulated E.P.A. driving cycles, the vehicle achieved 104 miles per gallon in city and 114 m.p.g. in highway driving. Those numbers, however, were achieved with capped performance parameters, which limited the prototype’s 0-60 miles per hour time to 15 seconds and top speed to 67 m.p.h. More fuel must be expended to achieve the vehicle’s reported 5.5-second 0-60 run and 149 m.p.h. top speed.  The vehicle’s interior, suspension system, crush zones and engine are all “hot swappable, meaning they can be removed and replaced rapidly. According to Mr. Justice, this modular system is patterned after test-driven software development procedures. The chassis has reportedly been validated for front impact, side impact, and roof-crush strength to “five-star equivalency.” He added that the carbon-fiber body was produced for less than $1,000 using an innovative carbon-fiber layering process.  What they didn’t say: Though Wikispeed’s financial resources are scare, they hope to close angel-investor financing or obtain a loan that would provide the initial $750,000 required to put some volunteers in paid positions.  What make it tick? A 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder Honda engine and Honda drivetrain.  How much, how soon? According to Mr. Justice, the car in kit form is available now for $28,800. He hopes to eventually sell turn-key cars in high volume for under $20,000. No timetable was given.  How’s it look? Though intended as a four-passenger vehicle, the current prototype looks like an aerodynamic sports racer. We have trouble calling it a sedan, but that’s not necessarily bad. A drawing of a convertible city car, envisioned on the same chassis, was also shown.
With a novel, inexpensive carbon-fiber build process and an all-volunteer staff, Wikicars is controlling costs, but needs funds to realize its 100 m.p.g. vision.