Really low power and a small car usually mean embarrassment for an automaker, especially if you're talking about the 1950s. But the BMW Isetta is somehow the exception to this rule, as it made micro cars cool almost singlehandedly.
The slower you go in an Isetta, the cooler you are. And we've seen some of these get ridiculously high prices at auction, so maybe the time is right for BMW to develop a worthy successor.
You obviously can't make another bubble car. It wouldn't pass crash tests of any kind, which is a shame, considering that if we all drove cars this size, emissions would be down to nothing. How can you even kill people in a 20 mph crash? The best BMW can do is make a city car, and if it runs on electricity, they might as well bring it into the i family.
This rendering by Giorgi Tedoradze explores that possibility. It's an iPad sketch of a futuristic-looking machine with all the styling cues of a modern BMW. For example, the wheels are from an M car, while the grille shape is unmistakably that of a 4 Series/M4.
BMW can probably build something like this pretty easily, using the chassis from the MINI Cooper SE, which itself has tech from the i3. Obviously, you can't put the door on the front, like with the old Isetta, but we think the concept is missing something else: retro styling.
Honda just launched the "e" urban EV that kind of looks like a modern version of its first Civic. It hasn't fully gone on sale yet, but we suspect Europeans will go for that kind of chic. Speaking of which, we have to mention the new Fiat 500e. It's expensive as heck, but range is acceptable, and it ticks most of the retro boxes.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News