The electric clone of the 1950s cult car, the Isetta, is now being mass-produced for the first time.
(Photo: dpa)
Zurich The Swiss family company Micro Mobility Systems begins series production of the Microlino electric car. The design of the Microlino, with its driver’s door covering the entire front of the vehicle, is borrowed from BMW’s 1950s cult car, the Isetta.
The model was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show six years ago. The first of a small series limited to 999 pieces will soon roll off the assembly line in Turin, as co-founder and marketing director Wim Ouboter announced in a blog post on the company’s website.
In the coming week, the configurator for the Microlino will also go live. The electric motor of the small car, which weighs around 500 kilograms, has a little more than 16 hp and accelerates to 50 kilometers per hour in five seconds. The top speed is 90 kilometers per hour.
Microlino electric car: 29,000 pre-orders received
Buyers should be able to choose between three different battery capacities, with a range of between 76 and 230 kilometers depending on the equipment and the time of year. The car can be fully charged from a household socket within four hours.
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The small car designed as a city car is available from 12,500 euros. It offers space for “two adults and three beer crates”, as the company announces. However, it only requires a third of the parking space of a conventional car. According to Micro Mobility System, it has already received 29,000 pre-orders. In Europe, the Microlino is registered in vehicle class L7e, putting it in the same segment as the Renault Twizy.
Corona pandemic delayed production of Microlino
Originally, the company wanted to deliver the first models of the “Pioneer” small series at the end of last year. But the pandemic and the logistics chaos delayed the start of production. However, Micro Mobility Systems promised at the beginning of the year: “We will make up for the delayed start of production later by increasing the quantities more quickly.”
Company founder Wim Ouboter also develops an electric scooter with three wheels, the Microletta, whose design is based on classic motor scooters such as the Vespa. Ouboter founded Micro Mobility Systems in 1996, initially designing and selling scooters and kickboards, followed by e-scooters – and finally in 2015 the first designs for the Microlino.
The company developed the first prototype together with the Swiss University of Applied Sciences ZHAW. Since the prototype was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016, the electric clone of the cult car, the Isetta, has had a steadily growing fan base.
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