A Russian car designer has an utterly unique take on the "city car" phenomenon popular throughout Europe that may become influential in the design of future cars.
Alexander Malyshev, the designer of the Mirrow Provocator, calls his on-paper-only design a "revolutionary car," and he may be right.
The car is about the width of a normal SUV, and as tall as a minivan, but far shorter. Think: a mini minivan. Malyshev believes the vehicle would be a great cab, especially with two extra seats in a "stretch" version. He says the car body would be composed of more than 50% recycled polymers, available in three different colors, although the base models will come without windows or extra panels.
Entry into the vehicle is one of the unique features of this micro-van. It's from a single rear door that looks like a gate. The two side doors, and two tiny rear doors, all of which are high off the ground, are for "emergency evacuations" only. The design helps give rigidity to the vehicle, which would be very important in case of an accident.
Seats in this tiny wonder are designed using aircraft principles, with seats located on both sides of an aisle, which, combined with a high ceiling, allow adults to enter easily. Luggage would stowed along the aisle, but the designer notes, all four passengers would be able to have luggage - which is, admittedly, pretty amazing for a car this size.
Engines for the Mirrow Provocator is envisioned as a turbocharged three-cylinder gas or diesel of up to 1.5 liters, which can provide acceleration from zero to 60 in less than 8.7 seconds.
Sorry, time travelers, but this car would be limited to 86 miles per hour.
Tech includes anti-lock brakes, traction control, electronic stability control, up to 12 airbags, parking system and rear-view camera, hill brake control and hill-start assist system. A protection system will prevent occupants from accidentally opening the evacuation doors.
Hybrid and electric version of the car are possible because of the large area below the seats.
Material features of the car body, its ease of fabrication and use of low-cost polymers should allow the retail price of the basic version of the Mirrow Provocator to run around $4000-5000.
The Mirrow Provocator, of course, would be tailor made for European roads. The "city car" has never been popular in the US, with the failure of the Smart car line on which its based being ample evidence.
Malyshev says Mirrowcars has no plans to produce this or any other car at this point, and he hopes others may eventually cooperate in building it. But one can't help but root for innovators, since their successes - and even their failures - will help push the boundaries of car design by their efforts.
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