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| Bubble cars, like this Messerschmitt, are coming back in vogue as cities become clogged with big cars. |
In KwaZulu-Natal, the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg are also suffering this fate, with commuters complaining about hours wasted to cover a few kilometres every day.
In Cape Town and Johannesburg, the situation is even worse, but compared to the slow-motion ooze
that passes for traffic in places like Mumbai or Lagos, we S’africans have nothing to complain about, yet.
that passes for traffic in places like Mumbai or Lagos, we S’africans have nothing to complain about, yet.
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| The author in the BMW Isetta. |
But complain is what people do and more car makers are heeding the calls for solutions to congested traffic — by returning to the bubble cars of yore.
Cars in the Park fans will know about the Messerschmitt KR200 and BMW Isetta, which were concocted (designed is too strong a word) after World War 2 to provide a cheap way for people to move about as Germany started rebuilding after Allied bombing.
Like these ancients, modern bubble cars also have tandem seating and three or four wheels, but there the similarities end.
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| If the choice if fun or practical, Toyota's i-Ride leans towards being fun. |
Today’s bubble cars are virtual extensions of one’s smart phone, with impact beams to make them (slightly) safer and electric motors that provide a lot of instant torque. Often, they are crowd-funded and designed by enthusiasts, rather than giant corporates.
One tiny car that was designed by a giant corporate is the i-Road, which Toyota first showed at the Geneva car show in 2013. Toyota last week displayed the tiny electric trike at its State of the Motor Industry (SOMI) address in Midrand, Gauteng, drawing attention to the trike’s ability to lean into corners to avoid fatal understeer.
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| SEAT's Minimó offer micro-mobility in crowded cities. |
Now SEAT has announced its “urban micro-mobility solution” in the shape of the Minimó.
Like the i-Road, the Minimó is all-electric, but unlike the Japanese solution for congested roads, the new Spanish bubble car has four wheels.
Both meet the challenges posed by stricter emissions laws regulating vehicles entering urban areas, increasing traffic jams and the lack of parking spaces. But as yet, no one knows whether people will buy into this new wave of bubble cars that suggests changing Isuzu's old "Go big or go home" marketing line to “Go small or stay at home”.
The size of best-selling vehicles in various regions around the world, like the bulky Ford F250 in the U.S. and the sizeable Toyota Hilux in Mzansi, suggests car buyers are not yet ready to trade traffic jams for tiny wheels. It still just "go big" out there...
