Meet the “Microlino”, an electric bubble car that adopts a modern and “micro” take on the classic BMW Isetta. Created by Micro, a Swiss mobility company, the Microlino is reportedly ready to begin production this spring after years of testing and innovation.
Micro gave prospective drivers a first look at the unique new microcar, which is described as “not a car” by its designers. Officially, the Microlino is classified as a “quadricycle” in Europe, which is notably similar to a low-speed vehicle or three-wheeled motorcycle classification in the US. Looking to the design, the Microlino is built on a “four-wheeled foundation but has a single front door and seating for two.”
Microlino
Originally, Microlino production was supposed to begin by the end of 2021 at a new production facility in Turin, Italy; however, the COVID-19 pandemic created supply chain difficulties which delayed the company’s efforts to begin production.
“Our goal was to deliver the first vehicles to customers within the end of the year but the worldwide supply chain chaos is affecting us like many other carmakers,” said the team. “We plan to start production mid of March 2022 in a slow ramp-up and plan to deliver the first customer vehicles in April/May in Switzerland and soon thereafter in Germany. The good news: we are going to make up for the delayed production start later, by having a faster ramp-up in the second half of 2022.”
Microlino
There are two versions of the new microcar: the Microlino 1.0 and the Microlino 2.0. The Microlino 2.0 was designed for use as an urban vehicle with a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) and a 12.5 kW (16.8 hp) motor. The Microlino 2.0 will also be available in three models at launch: Urban, Dolce, and Competizione, which differ in battery size. This version will reportedly start at around $17,898 .
