Looks like no one else wants to chime in on the RV-12...so I guess I'll start.
It looks to me like the RV-12 is a fantastic idea. Talk about reducing the cost of ownership. With the Rotax sipping gas and the removeable wings (allowing it to be trailerable)...this thing looks like a real money saver.
Yeah, it will be slower than the other RV's (due to LSA regs limit of 120kts cruise), but the performance will be comparable or better than a Skyhawk, which is good enough for a great number of pilots and is great for a casual weekend flight around the patch.
From reading the info in the RVater and looking at the computer-generated image on the website, it appears as though the -12 will have a steerable, oleo-strut style nose gear. I find that to be very interesting, since from the perspective of cost, simplicity and weight a tapered tube gear a la all the -A models would be preferred. I guess Van and Co. are choosing to try to make the nose gear as fool-proof as possible, which in my opinion is not a bad thing.
From the business perspective, I think it's an interesting decision being made by Van's. Since the -6/6A, all the models have shared parts, making the production process much simpler and cost-efficient. So far the -12 seems like it will use completely different parts, which will challenge the Van's staff to be able to produce them without too much time between equipment changes to manufacture different parts. Unless Van's increases their capacity, I would expect to see lead times rise if this kit comes onto the market. It could be argued that lead times stayed about the same after the introduction of the 10, but I predict that the -12 would have more sales by volume than the -10.
And finally the RV-9/9A guys will have somebody to rib....
(no offense...my mind was set on the -9A until someone talked me into the -7A).