Mika Vehicles desires to construct the Mino, a tiny, sporty, electrical two-seater

Extremely-low quantity car-making is saved alive by fans, whether or not they’re makers or customers. One such firm is the UK-based Mika Vehicles, a micro-manufacturer finest recognized for its Meon and Meon E. This road-legal two-seater takes its inspiration from the traditional seashore buggy, an archetype that owes its origins to American designer Bruce Meyers and his VW Beetle-based Meyers Manx, launched in 1964.

The Meon and its electrical sibling are equally stripped down, open topped and extremely compact at simply 3.06m lengthy and 1.6m huge (a shade over the size of the unique Issigonis Mini). Because of this frugal strategy, a low-weight fibreglass physique and bespoke chassis, the Meon E is gentle. The truth is, the corporate calls it the ‘lightest, road-legal electrical automobile on the earth’.

Throw in an influence unit producing the equal of 214 bhp and also you get a vastly entertaining machine, with a supercar-bothering 3.5 second 60mph dash and a prime velocity restricted to 100mph. While this serves up pure, untrammelled enjoyable, there’s not a lot practicality – nothing in the way in which of weatherproofing, for instance.

Enter the Mika Mino

That’s the place this new mannequin is available in. Not too long ago named the Mika Mino, the tiny EV is at present beneath growth. Meant to make use of the quadricycle guidelines that circumvent sure legislative restrictions (see additionally the Citroën Ami, for instance), the Mino has sufficient grunt to allow it to outperform most different automobiles on this comparatively low-powered class. The corporate has labored to create a bespoke extruded chassis in an effort to present glorious crash safety, and as lots of the parts as potential have been sourced from the UK. Consider the Mino as a Meon that grew up and have become an entire lot extra smart.

Which means ditching the ultra-high-performance strategy in favour of driving vary. At the moment, it is proposed to ship the little automobile with both a 16kWh or 32kWh battery pack, offering 80 to 160 miles of vary respectively, in addition to a prime velocity of round 56mph. Keep in mind that the little Ami will wrestle to journey 50 miles or finest 30mph and the Mino represents a much better alternative for the day by day commute.

Preliminary renders, proven right here, depict a compact coupé paying homage to a Japanese kei sports activities automobile, with loads of sporting character. Though the corporate plans to get a prototype on the roads this yr, full manufacturing could be depending on a partnership with a bigger firm to deliver the required funding. This is hoping they discover their excellent match.

Mino, at present idea solely, Meon E, from £75,000, MikaCars.co.uk, @MikaSportsCars