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Shell, Gordon Murray and Osamu Goto to Build a City Car Concept

Most automakers are busy trying to come up with city cars that are as less dependent on fossil fuels as possible while Shell is going the other way around. The company just announced that it’s planning to help design and engineer a city car concept built around an internal combustion engine.
Gordon Murray 1 photo
Photo: Shell
While BMW and Mercedes-Benz are including an electric motor in their cars’ drivetrains more often than not, here comes the oil giant and says that internal combustion engines are still better. Considering their main business is selling oil and its derivates, it makes sense.

In this endeavor, Shell teamed up with Professor Gordon Murray of the Gordon Murray Design Group (the man that designed the McLaren F1 in case you didn't know) and engine specialist Osamu Goto from Geo Technology.

The car is supposed to be ultra-compact and efficient for city usage while also built around a conventional engine. Of course, all the fluids for the car will be provided by the oil company.

It's not the first time, the three entities worked together on a car. They did it back in 1988 as well, putting together Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost’s Honda-powered race cars that set a record Grand Prix won that season.

Dubbed Project M, the car is supposed to offer a viable alternative for people living in big cities. According to various estimates, three-quarters of the world’s 9 billion occupants will live in cities by 2050.

“Since working with the Gordon Murray Design team on the T.25 car in 2010, we have given further thought on how to deliver a complete rethink of the car, using as little energy as possible. We believe this Shell car will demonstrate how efficient a car can be when Shell works in harmony with vehicle and engine makers during design and build, supplying fuels and lubricants technical expertise,” said Selda Gunsel – Vice President Lubricants Technology.

The final result of Project M will be unveiled in November and enthusiasts can watch how it’s being developed through this dedicated website.
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