Hybrid by Former Head of Design at VW Due in 2009
Mindset Six50, a Light and Little Electric CarMurat Günak, former Head of Design at VW, has measured the vital stats of the auto industry and his diagnosis is "too big, too heavy, too expensive". With the support of Swiss millionare Lorenzo Schmid, Günak plans to buck the trend. Günak and Schmid founded the company Mindset and developed a hybrid 2+2-seater they call the Six50, a name which rubs it in the faces of the traditional sleds and SUVs.
Six50 hints at the target weight: 650 kg (1430 pounds). According to recent reports, the prototype aluminum frame with plastic body actually weighs in at 800 kg. The car will have a range of 100km (62 miles) on one charge of its lithium ion batteries and up to 800km with the two-cylinder petrol motor acting as a generator when necessary. Solar panels built into the roof help charge the battery. At its light weight, the 70kW (95HP) motor should move the Six50 along at up to 140km/h (75mph) and from 0 to 100km/h in under 6 seconds.
The six50 seems to fulfill Günak's desire to make a statement to the automotive industry, at least as far as too big and too heavy are concerned. We leave it to the reader's judgement whether cost dodges the "too expensive" bullet: the price projected at 31,000 euros at the outset is estimated to be closer to 50,000 euros when the Six50 hits the market in 2009. (Warning: save yourself some aggravation and don't even try to translate it to the weak dollar)
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Via ::motor-talk (German)::auto motor und sport (German)Autobloggreen
