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Oliver and Merlin Ouboter have launched a new version of the
micro car, modelled on BMW's Isetta bubble car, this time with
four wheels, not three.
The new Microlino replaces the old petrol engine with a 12.5
kilowatt electric engine giving it a range of up to 230 km (143
miles) and a top speed of 90 km per hour.
Its light weight - 496 kg - and small size - 2.5 meters long -
reduce the vehicle's environmental impact and makes it easier to
park in tiny spaces, said Oliver Ouboter, chief operating
officer at Microlino AG.
"The idea was to create an alternative to conventional cars. The
Microlino does that much better than bicycles - it's weather
protected, you have space for cargo, you can have two people
sitting next to each other," Ouboter told Reuters.
"Because it's smaller than a conventional car it consumes less
material to make it, and it has a smaller battery which means it
uses less electricity," his brother Merlin added. "So the
ecological footprint is about a third of a conventional electric
car."
More than 35,000 reservations have been received for the
Microlino, which is being built in Italy and costs upwards of
15,000 Swiss francs ($16,195).
The Oubuters' parents - whose company has sold 90 million kick
scooters - have invested more than 10 million francs in the
project, although the brothers declined to specify how much.
More known for chocolate, watches and banking, Switzerland did
have a car industry in the early 20th century, with long
forgotten brands such as Ajax, Fischer and Turicum.
High production costs and a tiny home market doomed many,
although Switzerland does host some niche manufacturers.
"Ideas can be developed in Switzerland, the marketing is taking
place here, but the mass production somewhere else. Microlino is
the latest example of that," said Daniel Geissmann at the Swiss
Transport Museum in Lucerne.
"There is a market for such a car," he said. "It's striking and
it's fun."
($1 = 0.9262 Swiss francs)
(Writing by John Revill, Editing by Louise Heavens)
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