MiniCar
Latest
Kia to roll out re-badged Hyundai electric minicar in late 2011
There's still no indication that it'll hit the North American market, but it looks like Kia will soon have an all-electric "minicar" to call its own. That will come in the form of a re-badged Hyundai i10 (pictured above), which is expected to pack a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery and a range somewhere south of a hundred miles. No word on pricing just yet either, but the car is set to roll out in late 2011, with production tapped at a modest 2,000 units for 2012.
Takeoka Jidosha Kogei's electric minicar gets slightly more macro, even more cute
Japanese minicar manufacturer Takeoka Jidosha Kogei's Milieu R is the perfect car for anti-social folks, featuring only one seat and a range of 50km that's just enough to make your commute while being limited enough to get you out of going to the bar afterward. Thus far those who socialize only with (very) small animals have been left out of the company's offerings, but that all changes with this new prototype, the T10. It's ever so slightly larger, gaining 90mm in length and 40mm in width, making room for a shelf to the left of the driver's seat intended for some sort of pet (we're guessing hamster, possibly a petite guinea pig). The other specs, including that 50 km range and top speed of 55 km/h, stay the same, meaning there'd still be no concerns about getting to work early or having to socialize afterward, but we're not sure its charming looks make up for a price tag set to be somewhere north of ¥856,000 (about $9,520); awfully close to that of a "real" car. At least it looks a little safer than the HUVO.
