Meet the tiny Colibri, Germany's one-seat wonder (BBC)
Ken Wysocky
The impossible dream of scoring the perfect city parking spot is about to get somewhat more possible – at least in Germany, where the tiny Colibri, a single-seat electric car from upstart Innovative Mobility Automobile (IMA), is headed for production.
Set to become available for test-drives and pre-orders this year, and scheduled to enter series production during 2016, the Colibri is aimed squarely at businesses that operate fleets of service vehicles in densely populated urban areas, where parking is at a premium. But that doesn’t mean IMA isn’t also trying to woo everyday drivers, says Thomas delos Santos, IMA’s founder and chief executive officer.
In fact, the company has already received more than 1,200 orders from private customers. Another indication of the car’s early popularity: More than 150 dealers from around the world (mostly in Europe, but also including Israel, Brazil, the United States and Australia) have applied for licenses to sell the Colibri. And collectively, those dealers estimate there’s enough consumer interest to sell another 5,000 cars, says delos Santos.
IMA officials decided to name the Colibri after a genus of hummingbird because it reflects the car’s chief qualities: small, quick and speedy. “We also wanted to create a cost-saving solution that’s safe, comfortable and nice to look at, too,” he explains.
The Colibri appears to fit the bill on all counts. It weighs a mere 970lbs and measures about 9ft long, 4ft wide and 4½ft tall. And at a starting price of €10,990 (about $12,500) plus a monthly battery-rental fee of about $45, it’s roughly comparable to its most obvious rival in Europe, Renault’s Twizy electric microcar.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150128-meet-the-tiny-colibri-germanys-one-seat-wonder
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