Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Sports/GTs, Etc., Volkswagen
Defiant Motors formed to lead grassroots VW GX3 revival effort
click on the above image to view a high-res gallery of the VW GX3
Most of you probably remember the Volkswagen GX3, the German automaker's sensational three-wheeled sports concept that stunned LA Auto Show attendees in January of 2006. After a roller-coaster ride of will-they-or-won't-they speculation, including spy shots of a mule undergoing testing, VW canned the project because in today's litigious society, the risks to the company were deemed too great.
Enter Defiant Motors, an entity that has apparently been set up to gauge public interest in seeing a production version of the GX3 come to fruition. In the email we received from Aaron Mady, the owner of the DefiantMotors.com domain, he states that if there is enough interest, the ultimate goal would be to partner with Volkswagen to market a production GX3 as a Defiant-badged vehicle "so that they will not be liable for consumer education that the GX3 is a motorcycle." We have no idea what kind of resources Mady and/or Defiant Motors has at its disposal, so the viability of making step 2 happen is completely speculative.
We're not legal experts, so we'll have to defer to others more versed in matters such as this to determine whether such a situation would or could work. If you do have experience in this arena, we'd like to hear from you in the comments. And Defiant would like to hear from you if you're interested in parking a GX3 in your garage. It may be pie-in-the-sky, but it sure is an interesting idea, and it's just another great example of the kind of grassroots effort you can mount via the Internet. To Mady's and Defiant Motors' credit: they're trying.
Gallery: Volkswagen GX3 Concept
Email from Aaron Mady, Defiant Motors:
Subject: VW GX3 Revival
We are trying to revive the VW GX3 concept. We are currently gauging interest through our site and would encourage anyone who might be interested in a GX3 to sign up.
We are hoping to partner with VW and have them produce the GX3 rebadged as a Defiant vehicle so that they will not be liable for consumer education that the GX3 is a motorcycle.
At this point, however, we are merely hoping to see how much interest there is so that we can go to VW with a guaranteed number of orders already ready.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
bobdobbs 6:24PM (4/12/2007)
Trikes are ghey.
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spudwest 6:30PM (4/12/2007)
Why not just make it a 4 wheeler like the Atom Ariel and save the legal issues. If you've got two wheels in the front, I'm not sure what benefit there is in having only one in the back. Sure it saves weight, but you lose rear grip...
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RR 6:36PM (4/12/2007)
I would buy one if it is 17k as displayed on their website.
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Defiant00 6:41PM (4/12/2007)
Four wheels would result in needing airbags, crash testing, extra weight, higher cost, etc...
The intent is a motorcycle for those who either do not feel comfortable riding a normal motorcycle (such as myself, due to other drivers), those who find riding a motorcycle physically difficult, or those who want a fun fair-weather vehicle that still gets pretty good gas mileage.
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HotRodzNKustoms 6:42PM (4/12/2007)
The fed would never let a mainstream company import such a trike as a 4 wheeler, it would not pass safety and all that crap. But since 3 wheels is classified as a motorcycle you could use the carpool lane in California and you don't have all the car regulations to deal with. I actually offered to buy one or two of the prototype GX3's from VW but they refused.
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kevin 6:46PM (4/12/2007)
solo in the carpool lane. that's why. read up on the initial press release.
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geo.stewart 7:13PM (4/12/2007)
at the end of the day, if it aint got a roof, its just a toy. I'd like to see this generic concept (motocar) with a roof gain some traction and keep costs down. I only need a commuter and either storage or additional passenger but want something for sun or rain. Does the roof do away with the motorcyle standing? Is that why no one has done one that way?
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Defiant00 7:39PM (4/12/2007)
Ideally if this takes off in any manner we'd like to offer a detachable roof/windscreen as an option. This is obviously speculation at this point, but that would be the plan. Whether it'd be a full or partial roof, or windscreen + soft top, or any other option is also speculation.
Those plans shouldn't have any effect on whether it's classified as a motorcycle though.
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Jeff Banks 8:05PM (4/12/2007)
Wow, a post about a crazy track-day VW being built and you guys are all commenting on using the car pool lane?!
I'd love to see this produced (as I did a year ago) but I'm not counting on it. Definant Motors...seriously who came up with that name?
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Defiant00 8:09PM (4/12/2007)
Defiant, by definition, is boldly resistant or challenging. Since the company was formed to help automakers bring out small exciting niche vehicles it seemed fitting in our (depressingly-so) SUV-infested country.
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EM 8:45PM (4/12/2007)
This really isn't a bad idea at all. If people are educated and it's to be treated like a motorbike anyway, then why not? It's not suppose to be like an Ariel Atom...they've rocked the house already and everyone knows they're awesome. This is just different and fun enough!
Yeah, real mature there post number 1, but that's your opinion I suppose.
Anyway, I really hope this takes off and becomes an alternative for some people. Good luck to those at Defiant Motors! Many of us car enthusiasts are interested to see how this goes.
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Peter 10:32PM (4/12/2007)
No this is a lame idea, it takes all the worse aspects of motorcycle: helmet required, no weather protection, and loses the best: the feeling of leaning into turns and blinding performance.
I would much rather have weather protection, no helmet necessary and lean like a motorcycle:
http://www.flytheroad.com/
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Matt 10:35PM (4/12/2007)
I'm going to have to agree with #11. I actually think its a great, fresh, and different idea and looks like a lot of fun. Great toy for a weekend at the track. I'm sure if priced right, it would sell well for a niche-type vehicle.
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bobdobbs 10:58PM (4/12/2007)
#12, you forgot the up-high visibility and far better manoeuvrability a real motorcycle gives you. Add to that the fact that the SCCA (Sports CAR Club of America) will likely never sanction this for any real events, and you wonder who the hell would buy it.
VW would sell 20 times as many Polo GTIs in this country, and they might make money doing that. Maybe. Last I checked, VW didn't have money to waste; particularly on dumb ideas.
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gerbick 2:03AM (4/13/2007)
I've been wanting something like this for a while. It's either this or the BRP Can-AM Spyder Roadster (http://spyder.brp.com/en-US/)
But for me, this would be a lot of fun for my son and I to cruise out, hit the mountains for a while and just enjoy some wind and I don't have to worry about him falling off.
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Bob Keilmann 2:36PM (4/13/2007)
I am happy to see some one has picked up the fumble. I dont get all of the hoopla about going to 4 wheel and other suggestions that have no bearing on on a motorcycle based platform. The question that came to mind was why volkswagen simply did not form a motorcycle arm like Suzuki and BMW. There are other products they could have built under that umbrella from Scooters to a touring motorcycle Like the Amazona that was built in Brazil using VW motors. That was platform that the engineering was done.
I mean when the sign outside says VW Motorcycle Company what expectation would the consumer have?
A little common sense would go a long way!
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Bob Keilmann 2:46PM (4/13/2007)
I am happy to see some one has picked up the fumble. I
dont get all of
the hoopla about going to 4 wheel and other suggestions that have no
bearing on on a motorcycle based platform. The question that came to
mind was why volkswagen simply did not form a motorcycle arm like
Suzuki and BMW. There are other products they could have built under
that umbrella from Scooters to a touring motorcycle Like the Amazona
that was built in Brazil using VW motors. That was platform that the
engineering was done.I mean when the sign outside says VW Motorcycle
Company what expectation would the consumer have? A little common
sense would go a long way!
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d3f3nd3r 3:54PM (4/13/2007)
Great concept, but cost is the issue. The T-Rex is a great idea but for 50,000 it's absurd. If it can be priced in the relative ballpark of a premium motorcycle I would jump on it. Comparing the performance spec's of this to a motorcycle is a little misleading as the vast majority of us do not possess Valentino Rossi level skills and can not push a superbike's performance envelope. This concept however changes that gap and allows you to push it's envelope with much less risk while keeping some of a motorcycles visceral thrill.
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Bob Cass 10:10PM (4/13/2007)
I think it is important to bring unique excitment to
the catagory of "Small Car in American", VW did a pretty nice job on this point. I am an artist who also loves cars, having played with 3 wheeler concepts for years, I have found it to be quite difficult to design one of these that doesn't look like a 4 wheeler missing one rear wheel. I like this design. But... since it and other 3 wheelers are so low profile and narrow in the back, it could be darn near invisible behind or infront of a larger
vehicle. I suggest stylishly adding some elements of a roll cage or side rails high enough to fend of an SUV front bumper.
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eric 12:19AM (4/14/2007)
advantages
fuel savings
lower cost of registation
lower cost of insurance
car pool lanes -they make great commuters
take it out to play on race day
they are great handling and fun to drive, i would put my FireAero up against a Atom any day! not that the atom isnt a great CAR, just that is not street legal in the usa and the gx3 would be legal. winshields are not required for a motorcycle. neither are airbags (concrete pillows). if you want one now, there are many available in the usa ie fireaero, trimagnum, the malone skunk, trihawk and the T-rex.
http://reversetrike.com/home.html
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