With the multimillion dollar Automotive x prize competition in full swing we’re starting to be inundated with the myriad of designs and concepts from the 70-odd teams that have already signed up to build and race a commercially viable 100mpg vehicle. The latest concept is the TVA Gazelle tilting vehicle from Australian designer Phillip James.

The vehicle is essentially a quad-bike with an enclosed canopy and is designed to tilt when cornering. The design features a unique steering system that links the steering wheel to the vehicle’s tilt angle and not the wheels. This design is said to offer superior stability, especially in the case of an emergency such as when traction is loss due to the wheels having no part in controlling the direction of the vehicle.

James is currently in negotiations with Indian and Chinese manufacturers and predicts that a production version could cost less than $10,000. To reach its goal of delivering a fuel economy rating of 100mpg, the Gazelle will run a compact fuel-injected 350cc petrol engine and is being designed to accept a hybrid or electric powertrain as well. The first prototype is scheduled to start testing in December.

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There was a lot of attention given a recent federal test of the new Smart fortwo. The little coupe received what was, on the whole, the highest possible kudos following a series of crash tests.  The microcar also was rated “good,” last week, by the influential Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Indeed, five of the 17 cars on the IIHS “good” list are in the small car category. A dozen years ago, there were none, notes Joe White, of the Wall Street Journal.

I frequently field calls from nervous parents ready to buy the first set of wheels for their children. “How big a car (or truck) should I get?” the conversation usually begins. And in decades past, I would have suggested, “really big.” In 1996, the death rate in the very largest of vehicles, say a Lincoln Town Car or Crown Victoria, was 76 per one million registered vehicles. For the few minicars on the road, the numbers were 165 deaths per million.

In 2006, the most recent year for which IIHS data is available, the death rate fell to 41 in very large vehicles, but just 106 in minicars. Over the same period, the statistics dropped from 126 to 99 in small cars, such as the Ford Focus or Toyota Corolla.

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