Little speedster: With its teardrop shape, the Microlino looks like it’s always in a bit of a hurry.
Image: Micro
Neither a car nor a motorcycle, but in a class of its own: the Microlino is preparing to become the most likeable urban vehicle on the market. Electric, of course. But expensive.
When grandfather’s heart warms because granddaughter drives into the yard with her factory-fresh cart, there’s a good chance that a retro experiment has been a success. We expect scenes like this by the dozen when the first Microlino are delivered in Germany. The cabin scooter that so unmistakably revives the BMW Isetta from the 1950s is finally ready for everyday use in its second version. A production line is in place, and 4,000 models are to be manufactured in Turin this year, with the prospect of up to 10,000. A sales partner has been found, from May the order buttons in this country can run hot.
The Microlino, developed by the Swiss company Micro, should show what it can do on a first test round. Apart from its standard function as a figurehead. The iconic, forward-opening door swings up at the push of a button, walk in and take a seat on the well-padded bench, on which you can even get a no less charming passenger.