German Manager Magazin: The Microlino continues to struggle with starting difficulties 001810

The first appearance was spot on: Micro Mobility Systems AG shoved into the limelight with a small electric vehicle at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The Swiss company’s concept stood out at the trade fair, which at the time was primarily a meeting place for fans of petrol and diesel horsepower. A 2.50 meter short, 1.50 meter narrow electric midget; the design similar to that of the 1950s BMW Isetta mobile – this fit with the growing calls for more sustainable cars. A fan base quickly grew, and the micro-mobile should already be sold in 2018. More than 30,000 customers have pre-ordered, say the Swiss.

Six years of waiting followed. But now the Microlino should actually be on the road. A few days ago, the company announced that the production of the first series models is running; and on Tuesday evening, Merlin and Oliver Ouboter, the sons of company founder Wim Ouboter, invited to the virtual launch. The two young men want to make their father’s company, which has grown mainly with kick scooters since it started in 1999, into the leading address for so-called L7e vehicles. Thanks to a self-supporting steel body, a battery with a capacity of up to 14 kilowatt hours, a range of up to 230 kilometers and a top speed of 90 kilometers per hour, the two-seater, which weighs a good 500 kilograms, is said to be safer, sportier and at the same time more enduring than the slightly smaller L6e vehicles such as the Citroën Ami or the Opel Rocks-e.

But the Ouboters also want to be paid for it properly: The Microlino should cost 12,500 euros. The competing models are significantly cheaper. In France there is the Citroën Ami from 6,990 euros, the identical Opel Rocks-e starts in this country from 7,990 euros. “Ami and Rocks-e are optimized down to the max. The Microlino is not the case,” says Peter Fintl, Director Technology & Innovation at Capgemini Engineering. There are, for example, extras such as vegan leather. The Swiss also set the prices high so that they can directly prove the viability of their business model. “We don’t want to pay extra for any model,” says Merlin Ouboter in an interview with manager magazin.

But while Ami and Rocks-e have long been available, the Microlino is just a promise so far. Micro Mobility Systems did not charge a reservation fee to pre-orderers. With their announcement on Tuesday that they would be able to deliver the “Pioneer” edition limited to 999 units this year, the Ouboters did not calm everyone down. On the contrary.

Because the chance of a model of the first series should be bought by customers with a “membership”. For a one-off fee of 1,999 euros, you get one of the first Microlinos, access to exclusive company events, a free e-scooter and a few other amenities. If there were 999 interested parties, it would bring the Swiss almost two million euros.

1,500 units this year – maybe

Money that the Ouboters can use. There is a problem in production. For example, there is still no paint shop, and there are not enough test facilities. Giuseppe Livani, who oversees the car’s construction at Italian contract manufacturer Cecomp in Turin, announced that 1,500 Microlinos will be built this year. He immediately provided the restriction: as long as the delivery situation does not deteriorate further. Because that’s probably the biggest problem for the Swiss at the moment. Many parts are delayed and only available at higher prices. “It’s more our bottleneck than the production itself,” says Merlin Ouboter. Integrated painting systems and the like are needed above all for the time when you want to produce larger quantities. The co-founder envisions 10,000 to 12,000 units a year.

The Swiss are still a long way from that. And the costs for the first production models are high. “The first 200 models will cost us significantly more than the last 200 of the Pioneer Edition,” says Ouboter. Income from the membership model would help, “that already played a role in the decision to do so”. Plans to look for larger external investors or to go public have been discussed, but have not yet been further specified. Perspectively, however, Merlin Ouboter did not want to categorically rule out an IPO. “At the moment it helps us that we have 100 percent of the shares, we can make decisions so quickly and are extremely flexible. For us, an IPO would not be about building up production like it is for others, but purely about growth. “

But now everything revolves around the start. The Swiss want to deliver the first Pioneer models in their home country in the summer, Germany is to follow later in the year. The German mark is important for the founders, almost half of the reservations come from there. It is still unclear exactly how much the first Microlinos will cost. The company wants to put its configurator online in about two weeks. There will also be other versions of the Microlino called Urban, Dolce and Competizione and the respective prices. However, the latter two premium versions will not be ready for the market before the end of 2022 or early 2023, the founders announced. And the Urban entry-level model is not expected to be available until the second quarter of 2023 at the earliest.

For most fans of the electric two-seater, the long wait will continue. The problems started when the Ouboters fell out with their contract manufacturer Artega in November 2018. The rights to the Microlino were disputed, and an out-of-court agreement was finally reached at the end of 2019. Micro needed a new contract manufacturer and found it in Cecomp. The Italians were once involved in the construction of legendary cars such as the Lancia Delta Integrale or the VW Golf 1, and the Microlino would be only too happy to join this ranks. But the time pressure is increasing for the Swiss. Artega was swallowed up by ElectricBrands a few weeks ago, and the new owner wants to launch his version of an electric Isetta successor on the market in early 2023.