[invalidator]

Safety regulations.

"A Car" needs to be able to operate safely on highways at 60+ MPH. That means: horsepower, braking, crumple zones, airbags, crash testing, etc. By the time you add those up you've already exceeded that budget, and you only have a glorified rickshaw. People want doors, roll-down windows, etc, which all add cost... they're going to be better served with a used car in that price range.

The closest things that exist are Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. They're basically golf carts with seatbelts, allowed to operate on city streets up to 25 MPH.

It would be great if the US had something like Japan's Kei Cars. Those are $10k and up, fast and safe enough for local highway use (say 50MPH)... It works in Japan because urban traffic tends to be low speed. They are less practical in the US where freeways run through every city, but they'd still work for many people. They would require significant regulation changes.

[derekp7]

Would the 3-wheel tadpole configuration vehicles (technically classified as motorcycles) fit the bill? I see them on the road frequently -- they have seats and car type controls, 2-seaters, some are fully enclosed too. I think this type is called an autocycle.

[invalidator]

Maybe? I think they're mostly used as sports vehicles currently, but it might be possible to squeeze a more practical vehicle into that class.