The three-wheeled commuter car with a price tag of $6,800 that manufacturers hope will change the way you get to work

A car company looking to gain an edge in the burgeoning ultra-high mileage commuter market hopes to do so by cutting corners. Or, wheels rather. Introducing Elio Motors, a startup vehicle manufacturer based in Michigan that hopes to get Americans plying the streets minus one wheel in skinny little cars that feature two in the front and just one in the back. And to do so, founder Paul Elio demanded his vehicle live up to four basic principles, reports MLive.

First, the three wheeled car had to get at least 84 miles to the gallon on the highway.

Second, it could cost no more than $6,800. It had to also receive a 5-star safety rating in spite of its size.  Finally, Elio’s car had to be American made. So far, the three-wheeled car has met those marks. Weighing in at 850 pounds, the Elio’s svelteness allows it to glide without the need for an SUV-sized fuel tank. And with five airbags, there’s little room in the skinny car to hit anything hard once they’ve deployed. Unfortunately, the car has lived up to its founder’s specifications only in the form of a few prototypes.

The Elio has yet to undergo federal crash test rating. That along with some other red tape means the prototypes—which have so far emerged painted shades of silver, black, white, blue, orange (called creasicle), red and bright green—aren’t street legal. But Elio’s representatives have been happy to take industry insiders out for a spin. And Elio’s vice president of marketing Chip Stempeck will soon be touring Michigan cities in an Elio. According to Stempeck, interested buyers can put down deposits in varying increments, sort of like a Kickstarter campaign. The larger the deposit, the sooner the buyer will get his or her Elio once production begins.  Elio says that will be sometime next summer, when the company will start assembling its three-wheel cars in an old General Motors plant Louisiana.