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Yamaha Wants to Outsmart the Smart With the Motiv EV

Yamaha Motor Co gave their green light on development and production of an electric two-seater, most likely based on the Motiv microcar concept presented at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.
Yamaha Motiv 1 photo
Photo: Yamaha
When Yamaha officialy presented the Motiv prototype in Tokyo, officials were quick to state that they wanted to bring the car to the mass market by 2020. Nothing was ever heard since then, but according to a report, "Yamaha will spend tens of billions of yen to build a manufacturing plant in Europe, though the location and scale of the investment amount remain undecided."

Word is that the cars will come in both 1.0-liter petrol and electric versions. Furthermore, Yamaha would begin with the two-seater city cars in Europe but the Japanese company is also looking at the possibility of expanding its sales in Japan and other Asian countries, with a particular focus on new, emerging markets.

If this turns out to be true, we could be looking at a new rivalry between Yamaha Motiv and Smart, in a niche which is only now starting to grow. As you might remember, the Yamaha Motiv concept was designed by famous British designer Gordon Murray, who secured a place in automotive hall of fame after creating the mighty McLaren F1 supercar.

The Motiv.e concept unveiled by Yamaha three years ago was powered by a 33 HP electric motor and could go for as much as 100 miles (161 km) on a single charge. According to Yamaha, a full charge could be completed in about three hours from a regular, domestic socket or in just one hour, when using a quick charger.

At this point, there is no intel on the 1.0-liter engine expected to power the Motiv, but in order for it to compete against Smart, we should expect a power output anywhere between 60 and 80 HP, sent to the rear wheels through a double-clutch transmission. We'll get back on this as soon as new details emerge.
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