First Wheelchair Accessible Consumer Vehicle to Go on Sale

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Believe it or not, anyone who currently wants a wheelchair-accessible vehicle has to have an existing vehicle retrofitted.

Now the Vehicle Production Group of Miami has taken its idea for a wheelchair-capable taxi and turned it into a van available for sale to consumers. The MV-1 has a manual access ramp that can accommodate heavy-power wheelchairs; an anti-slip floor and ramp surface; a wheelchair restraint system; and a spacious interior that allows a wheelchair or scooter to be positioned in the front, next to the driver.

Expected to sell for about $40,000 for the base vehicle, the Vehicle Production Group already has 4,000 orders with 40% of those for vans that run on compressed natural gas.

The MV-1 will head out on a 27-city tour that begins this week in Philadelphia and ends in San Diego in September. It will be showcased at rehabilitation centers, assisted living centers and hospitals.

Interestingly, the MV-1 will begin production in the fourth quarter of this year at the AM General assembly plant in Mishawaka, Ind. Regular KickingTires readers may remember this is the same plant that used to manufacture the Hummer and we profiled Mishawaka in our series on Indiana auto manufacturing.

A Vehicle in Which Performance is Measured by Wheelchair Access (Wheels)