Suzuki does not build many cars like the Suzuki CV1 with 50 cc 2-stroke Single cylinder, built from 1981 to 1985 in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management.
Where it came from
The Suzuki CV1 is a microcar first presented at the 24th Tokyo Motor Show in 1981. 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 30 km/h (19 mph), the legal limit for a moped in Japan at the time, and a fuel economy of 2.0 L/100 km (140 mpg‑imp; 120 mpg‑US). 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.
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 60 km/h (37 mph), 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.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 50 cc 2-stroke Single cylinder. Kerb weight is 168 kg. The wheelbase is 1310 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
On a showroom list of its day it stood against the DeLorean Motor Company DeLorean DMC-12, the Mitsubishi Pajero, the Nissan Micra. Nearby in the Suzuki catalogue sit the Suzuki XL-7 and the Suzuki Landy.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Suzuki CV1 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.