Small, relatively cheap electric vehicles such as the Seat Minimo could save the city car, according to the firm’s boss Luca de Meo.
Discussing the future of cars like the Seat Mii - a joint venture alongside the Skoda Citigo and VW Up - de Meo said: “When we sell a Mii I don’t make any money, the dealer makes maybe 200 euros and maybe they’ll then get 100 euros from the first service, only for the car to be taken to a local garage afterwards. There is not much business in that over 10 years.
“But how do most people use those cars? Would it be better for them and for us to buy transport by the kilometre, rather than the car? A Mii is massively over-engineered for a car that will most often be used for three miles to get across town.
“Wouldn’t the customer and our business be better off if they could rent a cheaper, but more fit for purpose vehicle for 20 cents a kilometre? If that vehicle was in more use, shared by users, and it covered 150-200 miles a day I’d be looking at 15,000 euros over three years.
“If a vehicle like the Minimo can be made for half the cost of a Mii then there is a business case for it. Not overnight, but there could be a solution there. And this is especially true when a car like the Mii, even at its most efficient, produces about 90g/km of CO2. If the target you need to hit is below 80g/km, then you may as well build a car than emits 0g/km.”
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si73
If the target co2 is lower
If the target co2 is lower than the current mii then electrify it, this minimo thing is no better than the other quadracycle based vehicles in that they don't have the same level of safety that a small car has, though are admittedly safer than a scooter or bike. A sub mii could be made, smaller like a c1 built using Gordon Murray's small car production line prototype, more simply manufactured and more city environment focused. One of the issues with current city cars is that they're expected to do everything, which is great for me and my wife as her mii does and frequently ventures out onto motorway speed dual carriagways, but if they were more city focused like a smart I am sure they could make them more cheaply and more profitably and still with 4 seats a boot and a good safety rating.
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