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Designers: Davide Cannata and Antonino Barrone, Icona Design Group Turin, Turin (TO), Italy
Manufacturer: Micro Mobility Systems AG., Küsnacht, Switzerland

In 2015 began the reinvention of the bubble car category with the Microlino, which was shown in 2016 at the Geneva Car Show for the first time.

The average car is only occupied by 1.2 people, riding just 35km per day. This has led to the conception of a new type of vehicle, essentially between a motorbike and a car that was designed for the average use case of commuters.

With space for two adults and three beer crates and up to 200km of range, it can be recharged on a normal house plug in just 4 hours makes it the perfect everyday runabout.

Due to its front-door, it can be cross-parked and exited directly on the sidewalk. As a result, it needs only one third of the parking space of a normal car.

It was designed to be “reduced to the max” (even more so than the original smart), yet be extremely charming and not just purely utilitarian, like many small cars nowadays are.

Essentially, it is “the iPad of the mobility world” because it is neither motorbike nor car, but a new product category in between.
The goal was to combine the three unique aspects of a car, namely weather-protection, freedom of movement and cargo space, into a form factor as small as possible and thus offer an alternative to conventional cars.

The design of the Microlino 1.0 has received numerous awards and massive media attention and interest from customers.
After many delays in its timeline, it was decided it was time for a fresh start. Therefore, the vehicle was completely reengineered, with several years of additional work, and in that turn, was also redesigned.

So came to be Microlino 2.0. Yet the design process was a collective undertaking, with upwards of 7,000 of our now more than 20,000 reservation holders actively participating. The production of the Microlino 2.0 started in the second half of 2021.
The goal was to make the Microlino 2.0 more elegant and modern, while also keeping a certain retro charm. In the front, the lines have smoothened to make it more harmonic and make the vehicle look rounder overall.

To minimize the thickness of the front bumper, it was split into two parts (upper and lower), which should make the car look lighter, while giving the possibility to hide a much more crash-resistant structure below.

A feature was also integrated that should make the front even more unique: an innovative LED lightbar. This lightbar includes all necessary lights (except headlights) such as position light, daytime running light and blinkers and ensures that the front of the vehicle is smooth and not disturbed by any small elements like blinkers. What’s more: in the dark it looks like a smiley face paired with the headlights.

Overall, the Microlino 2.0 was improved in many aspects compared to the first iteration from 2015. For example, the window sideline was heightened with thinner A-pillars, for better visibility, without sacrificing anything in terms of design.
The vehicle also got a little taller for better headroom inside, without sacrificing the proportions.

Compared to the previous iteration, the rear track width was increased for technical reasons and the rear design completely changed.

It now features a premium LED-lightbar which too has all the mandatory functions (blinkers, stopping light, position light) included, creating a smooth and clean rear end.

On the inside, its designers opted for a seat bench that can comfortably sit two people and a simple, yet intuitive user interface with one head-up display and a simplistic touchbar that houses all the necessary functions.

Apart from the gear-shifter, there are no buttons in the Microlino 2.0. To further simplify closing the front door from the inside and make it more customizable, the interior is composed of an anodized aluminum tube, which can be used to clip a smartphone or a tablet, or simply to hold onto during a bumpy ride.

The Microlino will be customizable and available in many different colors, as to express the personality of the owner. It can be made more retro –by opting for a white roof and chrome details or more modern, by having matte colors and details.