compliance car

plural compliance cars

1. USautomotiveA motor vehicle made in a manner to comply with government specification, in quantities to comply to government regulations on quota minimums, to sell to the public, frequently in limited areas, at a loss, without promotion, and under active dissuasion among dealers.

   The Honda for the most part is a compliance car, as shown by the fact the Japanese automaker only intend to build 1,100 of them.

   2012 June, “2013 Honda Fit EV Review”, in InsideEVs, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2019

   1 more example

   Critics have called low-volume battery electrics “compliance cars,” built in relatively low numbers mainly to satisfy California’s zero-emission mandates.

   2013 January, Jim Motavalli, “The Greenest and Meanest Cars in 2013”, in Wheels, The New York Times