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A Swiss scooter company wants to sell you an electric Urkel-mobile

Micro Mobility debuted its Europe-only Microlino electric Isetta tribute at Geneva

Micro Mobility

Do you remember the Isetta? If not, it was a funny little three-wheeled Italo-Teutonic microcar best known for being Steve Urkel's main form of conveyance in the excellent program, Family Matters. A new version debuted at the Geneva Motor Show, kind of.

People love microcars, and among microcars, Isetta is king, thanks to its charming front-opening refrigerator-style door and combination headlights/rear-view mirrors. It's almost impossible not to smile when you encounter one. Swiss scooter company Micro Mobility experienced this when it built and electrified an Isetta test vehicle recently, and now it has decided to build a more modern production version, according to Automotive News.

microlino-prototype-testride-zurich
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microlino-prototype-testride-zurich

The Microlino packs most of the Isetta's charm into a modern electric city car, even the amazing front-opening door.

Micro Mobility

The Microlino, as it will be called, holds on to almost all of the original Isetta's weirdness, including its trademark front door. The Microlino will be offered with two battery options, either 8 kilowatt-hours for 74.5 miles of range or 14.4kWh for 133.5 miles. Top speed is a not-so-blistering 56 miles per hour, but given its intended purpose as a car for tight European city centers, that's not that big a deal.

While we'd love to see the Microlino in the US, the firm has no plans to bring it here. That's understandable, considering that nearly everything about the body would have to be changed to comply with US safety standards.

Micro Mobility hasn't made mention of pricing or an on-sale date, but we hope that we get the chance to test one out when we're in Europe for the Paris Auto Show .

Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
Kyle Hyatt
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).

Article updated on April 3, 2018 at 3:31 PM PDT

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Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
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