Displayed under the banner of Suzuki Community Vehicle, the CV1 was a single-seat, four-wheeler, with a narrower track at the rear. It had a single door in its fiberglass body and originally had a claimed maximum speed of 30km/h (19mph), the legal limit for a moped in Japan at the time, and a fuel economy of 2.0L/100km (140mpg‑imp; 120mpg‑US).[1] The vehicle could be driven on a moped licence in Japan and was sold in very limited numbers on a trial basis at a price of 300,000 Yen. Somewhere between 50 and 100 examples were manufactured.[1][2][3]
After a governmental review, it was determined that the CV1 could only be driven by someone with a full license, rather than a moped license (which only required a written test). While this allowed Suzuki to increase the top speed to 60km/h (37mph), it also removed the reason for the CV1's existence. The car had windows on either side that could be slid upwards and early versions had a single headlamp. Its design was a modernized take on the post-war German bubble cars like the Heinkel Kabine and the BMW Isetta. Production ended in 1985 when Japanese licensing laws were changed.
Suzuki CV1 front
Suzuki CV1 rear
Sources
1 2 Rees, Chris (1995). Microcar Mania. Minster Lovell & New Yatt, Oxfordshire, UK: Bookmarque Publishing. p.142. ISBN1-870519-18-3.
↑ "谷保天満宮旧車祭 其の４ コレ…自動車？なんですCAR？"[Yabo Tenmangu Shrine Vintage Car Festival, Part 4: Is this a car? Is that a car?]. ChameleonArms. 2013-01-24.
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Suzuki CV1 front
Suzuki CV1 rear
