This One-Seat Car Is Just So Tiny Yet Super Cute

on February 12, 2015 at 1:58 pm

“Enjoy the little things in life for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things” — Kurt Vonnegut

Some are too large and expensive, some are unsafe and yet others are too weather-dependent and uncomfortable. This agile city car is different.

The Efficiency makes the Difference

The Colibri provides a cost-efficient ride and convinces by its high suitability for daily use, lots of cargo space and pure driving pleasure. This tiny and economical electric vehicle was unveiled by Innovative Mobility Automobile GmbH (IMA) at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, and is set to become available for test-drives and pre-orders this year. It has the significant advantage of having a long battery life and being very fast to charge.

The Colibri, which means “hummingbird”, has a top speed of 75 MPH, with a range of 68 miles from a 6.5-kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery. It takes the car about 9.9 seconds to go from zero to 62 MPH. “It’s small, quick and speedy,” said IMA officials.

“We also wanted to create a cost-saving solution that’s safe, comfortable and nice to look at, too.” And at a starting price of about $12,500 plus a monthly battery-rental fee of about $45, it’s roughly comparable to its most obvious rival in the U.S., the Mercedes Smart electric car.

Featuring plastic body panels — including a very exotic gull-wing driver’s side door — over a stiff steel frame, the Colibri’s cockpit is perfectly enclosed, and its rear cargo area is spacious enough for your weekly shopping. But why just one seat? IMA explained that this solution allows the car to be priced at least 30 percent lower than a combustion-driven microcar. “People think they need more seats, even though they really don’t. Most people drive alone.”

It’s very insightful though. In fact, the company has already received more than 1,200 orders from private customers and more than 150 dealers from around the world.

With its Colibri concept, IMA has won many awards, including the KYOCERA Environment Award and the Innovation Award Thuringia.