The problem with tiny electric city cars is that people don’t like the way they look or feel. I mean, come on, that plasticky Renault Twizy looks like an egg on wheels, which is not the same you could say about the German IMA Colibri here.
Innovative Mobility Automobile (IMA) recently came up with the Colibri concept, a single-seater electric car which is actually going to enter production soon. The vehicle is aimed at businesses that operate fleets of service vehicles in agglomerated cities and, as a matter of fact, the company already received around 1,200 orders for the tiny model and more than 150 dealers from around the world have applied to sell it.
The name comes from the tiny Colibri bird because the automaker says the car is small, quick and speedy. It is only 9 ft (2,743 mm) long, 4 ft (1,219 mm) wide and 4,5 ft (1,371 mm) tall and weighs about 970 lbs (440 kg). Power comes from a 50 kW (67 hp) motor turning the rear wheels. Zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) comes in 9.9 seconds and the top speed is reached at 75 mph (121 km/h).
Not an egg on wheels
The best part is that it actually looks better than any other machine in its class, despite having plastic body panels. And unlike the Twizy, the Colibri features a fully enclosed cockpit and has a gullwing door. You also get enough space at the back for a full shopping cart of groceries and you can access it via a normal hatch.
Why only one seat? IMA officials explained BBC news “We had to decide if we wanted a second or third seat or to achieve our cost goals. People think they need more seats, even though they really don’t. Most people drive alone.” Which makes a lot of sense. How many company fleet cars have you seen with two persons inside. In most cases, the designated person has to go meet other officials and talk about business which is usually a one-man-job.
Price is basically just a bit over an entry-level motorcycle, wearing a €10,990 ($12,500) tag plus a battery-rental fee of around €40 ($45) you’ll have to pay monthly. About the same as a Twizy but with more cool stuff. The Colibri is expected to offer a range of about 68 miles (109 km) and the battery pack should get recharged in two and a half hours on a normal outlet.
We're glad more and more companies are starting to offer such cars and hope to see more of them around the streets. The age of micro-cars should come back. At least until we'll find another incredibly cheap fuel end bring them land-yachts on the roads again. This could be a cyclical thing...
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