More than half a century has passed since BMW ceased to manufacture the famous Isetta, but the Swiss company Micro Mobility Systems decided to revive the single-door urban two-seater. This time it is named Microlino.
Just 2.4 meters in length (60 cm shorter than the Smart car), Microlino offers a seat for two passengers and the possibility of perpendicular parking, giving the driver and the passenger a chance to get out of the car directly to the sidewalk rather than to the roadway. Despite its tiny size, Microlino offers a 300-liter trunk, while the interior of the car does not change.
Power is generated by an electric 20 bhp engine, which gives Microlino a maximum speed of up to 90 km/h that is sufficient for driving around the city. The company will offer a tiny electric car with two battery options: a small 8 kWh battery that will suffice for 126 km and a larger 14.4 kWh battery with a power reserve for 202 km. Charging it through an ordinary household outlet will take 4 hours, and a special connector reduces the time to 1 hour. Italian manufacturer Tazzari, which owns 50% of Microlino AG, will start producing this miniature electric car by the end of the year.
It is planned to build 100 cars this year and from 1,500 to 2,000 cars in 2019. The rate of production will eventually increase to 5,000 cars per year. The company has already received more than 7,200 pre-orders for Microlino, costing from 12,000 euros.
Microlino will be sold only in Europe and in China, in part because the door and the front panel are unlikely to pass crash tests in the United States
