Loremo AG: Sporty 157 mpg Diesel

Actually, there's two trims to the vehicle, and the one with the 20 HP engine takes 20 seconds to hit 100 km/h. The "GT" version gets there in 9 seconds, but gets 87 mpg, compared to the 157 mpg of the base model.

http://www.loremo.com/daten_en.php

It'd be nice to see how this car specs out if they ever decide to have it meet US safety and emissions standards.

Will we ever see cars like this in the US? How long will it take?

looks like a great car, and i hope it makes it to the market very soon

however, with such a huge 0-60 time, it should never be called a sports car

Um, how do you get into that thing?

We will not likely see cars like this due to the safety lobby and NHTSA. The problem is 5 Mph bumpers, air bags and other safety equipment adds weight to a vehicle. By the time they were done with this car to comply to US standards it would add several hundred pounds reducing it's economy and performance. I'm not saying "safe" cars are bad just that there is a price that we pay for that safety.

Hybrid technology is not fancy. It can be added in combination with diesel, biodiesel, solar, electric cars, anything. It's just a braking system that recovers energy into some batteries.

Got your point on safety but as mentioned before, it is all relative. Small cars are more common in Europe. The "arms race" in carweight needs to be reversed. Combined with lower speeds you could do away with a lot of "safety" measures which are really measures to reduce impact consequences. Lower vehicle weight and speed would contribute a lot more to safety.

Nothing wrong with safety requirements. They are not the issue here at all.

The problem with a 1,000 pound car is that even if it meets crash test standards at 35 Mph, it would be less than half the mass of even a reasonable car such as a Civic. It would be 1/5th the mass of a heavy car or minivan, not to mention an SUV.

We are also talking about a two-seat vehicle, a non-starter for families.

I'd rather have Prius-class plug-in hybrid, which could get 100, 200 MPG, or more under typical local use, and less on long trips. A 3,000 pound car is not light, but it's lower than the national average. That's a reasonable thing to do while also trying to get that average to go down.

I think it's immoral to buy a car deliberately to outweigh your neighbors. But I also think, particularly with a family, that there is nothing compelling about allowing one's own to be totally outmassed by even average cars on the road.

As Paul van Dinther stated, Europe is full of small cars and German is known for its highways and speeds. If the Germans do manage to put out this car, I don't see why they shouldn't put it out in full force out there. At least they'll be ahead of the game. So what if the NHTSA doesn't like it. As long as it meets Europeans safety standards.
So what if the US families with their enormous cars and need to pack every toy their child owns to go on an overnight vacation with them doesn't like it. I loved my road trips with my aunts and uncles in Germany - in the BMW or Mercedes; we packed minimally and had four people in the car ... gone for 2 weeks! The US is spoiled, with its "all the comforts from home" vacations.

Paul, I was not refering to the "arms race" of vehicle weight but the added weight of all the US required safety systems. As Alonso said I also think it's immoral to try to outweigh your neighbours vehicle. It's just silly as is bringing all the childs toys on a car trip. I don't get how some people think about vehicle choices. I was totally shocked when my wife told me that a co-worker found out she was expecting her first child and promply when out and bought a mini van. This child still months away from seeing the light of day.

Over at Green Car Congress they have a full write up on the vehicle. The front and rear are crushable structures but those will not pass the US 5Mph bumper rule so add a 100Kg or so to comply with that.

Interesting,

As one who is involved with many alternative drive systems, no doubt, there is room for more in US market now that Green is becoming hip recently. (g)

We are producing a compressed gas vehicle and is exempt because of three wheels, so why not lobby for an exemption for vehicles weighing less than 1200 lbs. as this vehicle would be. Put in in motorcycle hybrid class and all the reinforced 5 mph bumpers and airbags are not needed.

Good luck, Mike
Gas-Rip-Off.com

True 3 wheels would get around the safety requirements as it would be considered a motorcycle.

Can't happen here. It's a tghreat to the Hummahs!

Interesting car, wonder when we will see this in US.
Thre is miss undestanding what hybride technology is (that not only by average person but also most of the car makars). Most of them thinking about recovering power from braking. Too limited, the most efficient hybrides are that do not have transmission & differentials, and all energy avaiable from internal combustion motor move electrical generator and is send to the wheels that have direct drive electrical motors. Even with out extra battery that hybrides get 2 to 5 time more milage (look for e-traction)

Don't worry so much about securtiy issues: Small cars aren't necessarily dangerous. Just as big heavy cars aren't automaticaly secure (SUV's tend to be very dangerous, also for passengers!).

Look i.e. at the SMART. I think it is an ugly car, no doubt. It is small, expensive and horrible to drive (I have a LOT of experience with this little fella... sometimes you just wanna punch the stick and kick the transmissions butt ;-) But, nevertheless, it is a bloody safe car. They did crash test a SMART vs. Mercedes S-Class and the passengers in the SMART had the same chance of surival. There is even a video where a SMART hits a concrete wall at 100 km/h and they were still able to open the door after the crash. Try that with an Excursion ;-)

So, I believe the Loremo(which btw fullfills European safety regulations that tend to be more rigorous than US regulations) is a great project. And safety is the least of my concern for this project. I rather do worry about performance in everyday use. How will it i.e. "fit" in with the traffic in terms of acceleration etc.

Cheers

P.

Coming from Europe, working in the automotive industry (also with the US as target market I will probably never understand the american "way of life":
Smaller cars are unsafe?
According to me the US cars are about the most outdated models still being build (although, the Russian Lada 2105 models might be of a lower quality) :
- very oldfashioned technics
- ABS equipment rate which is below any European country
- in case of ABS equipment in a lot of cases only a 2 channel system is used
- Braking systems equipped in the aftermarket with pads or rotors from the lowest (chinese) quality (Import chinese rotors in the US last year 32,8 million Pcs) and you're talking about safety?

Wasn't there a research in the US last year about the possibility of saving some lifes by using ESP equipment in cars???

Sorry but from a European point of view US cars are about as modern and safe as cars we had here 15-20 years ago. (even without talking about the gas consumption)

btw, Before you all start to write nastygrams as a reaction on this message please take into consideration that in fact I do like the design of (a lot of) US models, I just do not understand how a "safety minded" country like the US does not have a problem with their technicaly hopeless oldfashioned (there will always be some exceptions)domestic models.

Leon

People in the U.S. or anywhere else (average consumer) are not techinally minded enough to know what real saftey is.
Rather, people in the U.S. are concerned with a preception of saftey. S.U.V.s are Big, and therefore, the average U.S. consumer thinks that they are safe, no matter how much research proves otherwise.

I would like to see this vehicle combined with an electric engine powered by an ultracapacitor to give it excellent acceleration AND still have excellent overall fuel economy projected for the LS model!
There was a post here about some teenagers in Pennsylvania that put together a kit sports car with a VW 1.9 liter Diesel engine with an electric engine powered by an ultracapacitor to give it a 0-60 time of 4.0 seconds! + because of the 1.9 diesel engine, it still got 50 m.p.h. and the total cost of this project car was only 15,000 U.S. Dollars!
why couldn't these German Engineers do the same thing?

Lil' Hugger, I believe the post you are referring to is this one (for those who hadn't seen it).

When will this car be in Ireland?

I already got 200 mpg in 1990
from a 2500 pound car.
I drove that car for a week on one gallon of gas

AL >>>>.... What car is that?

The info for this car says it meets all necessary safety features (which are as high in Germanyas they are in USA). It has 4 seats (so it will suit my family) and access is by opening the front (for front seats) and rear (for back seats) of the car. It has a turbo-diesel engine so it can run on biofuels. By 2025 oil will be too expensive to run SUV's and minivans and it will not be possible to grow enough biofuel to meet demand, so cars like the Loremo are the only option... unless you like walking.

Another wishfull thinking car - reminds me of all these other good ideas which sink without trace

HOW ABOUT NOW. 2 YEARS FROM NOW, WE BE WALKING. THE TWIKE,SAM, OR ANY OTHER 3 WHEEL,WOULD BE NICE.IF 1/10 OF THE PEOPLE BOUGHT ONE. WE BE BUYING GAS FOR 1 BUCK A GALLON.IN TOWN DRIVING ELECTRIC. TRIPS THE CAR,TRUCK. EVERBODY CRYING OH WE NEED SAFTY,NO DRIVE MORE SAFE. WAIT ,I SEE, MANATORY 2009 LIC.REG. WHAT IS EXTRA TODAY IS MANATORY TOMARROW.BACK IN 1960 SEATBELTS? GUESS WHAT...I TRAVEL 100 MILES A WEEK THATS 5 GALLONS TOWN DRIVING AND YOU KNOW I AM STRAP IN, FOR SAFTY. I WOULD LOVE TO GET A TWIKE. A SAM ,SPARROW ,PULSE.
I AM LOOKING FORWARD FOR MY FIRST HYBIRD.HOW MUCH 20,000 BUCKS + 5,000 BAT+ 12,000 BUCKS TO CONVERT OH I AM HYPE ON SAFTY

"OR ANY OTHER 3 WHEEL,WOULD BE NICE"
well may be 2 weels,
I find on the net electric scooter that used less then 1kw/h and can be driven for 40 mils with speed of 15mi/h. If you will work in city where distance is relativly short that might be an alternative. The charge will cost you below $0.2/h (in NY the 1kw/h is $0.22). In NYc the cost of one ride in subway or bus is $2. That mean you could get at list 10 time lower cost to comute using that electric scooter. What they saing that the price is like $400 (that like 2 time less then my 1 year pass to subway). I expect before that charging electric vehicle from utility is more expensive then buing gas and use gasoline engine, no sow. The whole tric is that this whole scooter waight very litle compare to car, so basicaly it need energy to move the driver body. That very efficient. So people live your SUVs and get the ... LOL
Check the link: http://www.duropower.com/item.asp?PID=36&FID=1&level=0

you get into the car by being more agile and flexible, and not being a french-fry-eating, soft-drink-gulping ignorant biotch.

the possibility of extreemly low fuel cost with the appearance something far less than a Box, would make this desirable for me - current cost of Gas is $110 a week in my Van, small car would be about $75.00 but with the use of BioDiesel and a 150+MPG would put my cost to about $1.50 week

The 5 mph bumpers are required to protect consumers from having to buy a new car (or pay for major body-work) every time we have a little fender bender. The bumper is sacrificial. The Lotus Elise was awarded an exemption when sold in the US because they could show that the front "clamshell" was less expensive to replace than bumpers for many cars sold in the US.

The solution to safety requirements such as the 5 mph bumper and perhaps even selected areas for reinforced door shield panels would be to make the bumbers and the reinforced door panels from carbon fiber. They are light, tough resilient and easily repairable.

If they are using a motor at every wheel, with no differential, how do they adjust the speed of the wheels when entering a turn? One wheel has to slow down or speed up, or the car will enter a spin...

If you've got a motor on each wheel, you don't need a differential. Each motor can run at its own speed: no need for any control systems, linkages, etc.

Think of a motor as just producing thrust (the correct word is torque), the speed it runs at is merely a reflection of the resistance.

If you want to be really clever, then with electronic control systems, it's trivial to reduce power on one motor, while increasing it on the other, if the vehicle is turning (just use one motor controller for each motor, instead of connecting all the motors to the same controller).

The other advantage of having seperate controllers for each motor is the ability for advanced electronic control. So, per-wheel traction control becomes a possibility. Conventionally, if traction control sensors detect wheel spin, then the engine is told to reduce power. But electronically, on the wheel that is losing grip can have its power reduced instantaneously and by a precisely controlled amount.

Very nice looking car... It's nice to see someone using exisiting tech to get more miles to the gallon, tho by the time the car gets here gas will prolly be $20 per gallon...

cool car, but can it haul ass?

Good idea overall, but thing it's still fugly. Not fitting into the sports car definition (can anyone see Jeremy Clarkson driving it?).

Also, not everything has to be a hybrid. What do you do after a couple years when you those batteries can't be charged anymore? Get new ones. Where are the old ones going? There's still a lot of mess with the acid kids. And in a crash, stuff is going to leak once in a while. I'd rather see a bigger push for biodiesel than relying on a battery, or the capacitor idea from Lil' Hugger.

--
editor note: Hybrid batteries last for the life of the vehicle, can be recyled and are not lead-acid.

I happen to drive one of the biggest and heaviest SUV's on the planet, a 1989 Suburban. If some suicidally intoxicated Honda driver hits me head-on with less than one third of my weight, if I can maintain control of my own vehicle I will likely be unharmed. I don't see how deliberately outweighing one's neighbor is necessarily immoral. I am likely a better driver than average. I'm attentive and my reactions are quick. I don't drink, smoke, use cell phones, follow too closely, speed, play with the radio, or cut in front of large trucks. My safety equipment including my tires are well-maintained, and I always signal my lane changes well in advance. Don't I deserve to be well protected from all the lunatics out on the road, some of whom break all of these rules? Preservation of one's self and loved ones is not a luxury, it is a moral imperative. In my view, since I am unlikely to be the initiator of any car accident, I am therefore reducing overall highway fatalities by choosing to drive a heavy vehicle. On the highway I get anywhere from 15.5 to 20 MPG inclusive which is not terrible. Clearly I am paying a price for this safety, but to me, it is well worth it. Ecologically speaking, mitigating factors to my fuel economy are that I often carry one or more passengers (occasionally as many as 6 plus myself) and I do not drive every day.

I would love to see a car like this, steps back to the old VW bug days cheap to buy, but it should be cheap to take care of too. Somthing brakes it's easy to fix. this would make this car 1000 times more worth the money spent on it. Why do you think people love Old VW's and American muscle cars? you can take care of it your self. You do not need to be some sort of car enginer just to open the hood.

The real advantage potentially available in hybrids isn't so much regenerative breaking as it is running the engine (esp. a diesel) at it's peak-efficiency "happy place" RPM.

The big auto manufacturers have thus far being doing "parallel hybrids: the drive wheels can be powered by both electric and internal combustion motors. By combining them you can get good power for short spurts.

Diesel-electric submarines and locomotives are the simpler "series hybrid": internal combustion motor drives a generator/alternator of some sort, that powers a battery bank, that powers an electric motor. The internal combustion engine can be run at it's "happy place" RPM at all times, or shut off, or throttled back for some purposes.

A really slick version would involve automatic control over the intern combustion engine's "gas pedal", controlling it's output to meet demand. A more crude home-brewed version would let the operator control the internal combustion engine, reading from an amp-meter that measures battery status and all amps poured in and out. Something specced from the world of alternative energy would do - google "bogart trimetric" for an example.

Series hybrids are simpler and in my opinion have more potential for fuel savings than the heavier, more complex parallel hybrid systems. Series hybrid wouldn't be as "sporty" of course. The battery bank wouldn't be that big and the electric motor and generator would be little heavier than the transmission they'd be replacing, if any.

I saw the prototype of this car at the Geneva Motor Show about 6 months ago.

As much as I like fuel-efficient cars, I think this one in particular is doomed.

Seats looked extremely uncomfortable and not adjustable, getting into the car is awkward at best, and if it's raining the interior of the car will be soaked because you have to remove the roof to get in...

Space at the rear is really limited (it's more a 2+2 than a 4-seats car), and the fact that you're travelling backwards can lead to passengers feeling sick.

The car's height is about half of that of a common car. This means that it's about as high as a SUV's tyre. For security, that cannot be a good thing.

They did not allow anyone in the car (even after I told them that I was extremely interested), which adds to my feeling that it must be very uncomfortable.

In addition to that, you can be sure that the very small engine cannot take the 300 Kg load of a driver and 3 passengers if there is some uphill sections to climb.

So, it's unlikely that we will ever see a large number of Loremo cars on the road.

Hi,

This car is brilliant and the insurance should be cheap (UK) based on this cars fuel efficency, and after all the safety equipment has gone in.

Thanks

That's crazy design. But the 0-60 time is not very safe for our country where you need rapid accelerations. It's more good for highways.

Jim has the right idea with the, run the engine at the "happy place" which is most efficent RPM. A series hybrid can do this provided the generator can provide enough power to propel the car down the highway at highway speed and have enough left over to charge the batteries up. Any less and you could find yourself without enough power. At less than highway speeds and when coasting downhill the engine cuts out when the batteries are fully charged.

Folco is correct, the highway of automotive history is littered with cars that while they my have been advanced they looked/drove too different to appeal to the driving public.

So it gets 157MPG with a german driving it. How many MPG does it lose when one of us obese americans drive it?

If it weighs less than 1000 lbs, I'd personally be adding over 25% to the cars weight just when i got in it. Put my girlfriend in there too and you've added over 40% to the weight!

I just traded in my mid sized SUV for a new Suburban with the largest available V-8 and I could not be happier. I don't care what the gas costs as long as it is available. I don't personally know a single person who is downsizing because of gas prices or availability. Plus my tank holds enough gas to get me 3 hours from home on one tank. What do I care how fast it burns? I disagree with the previous poster who said it is not safer to be in an SUV. I will take your Civic head on in my Suburban any day.

Dave in the Bay Area

--
editor note:

Know that safety is not just about head on collisions: A bigger vehicle takes longer to brake, is less nimble and has a harder time avoiding accidents. Its inertia pulls it harder in turns, it often blinds those in front with high headlights and blocks the view of those in the back. If it loses control and hits a tree/ditch/wall, the impact will be the same as if it had hit a vehicle as big head on (big disadvantage) and the chances of roll-over are much higher because big SUVs are often as tall - if not more - as they are wide. Not to mention how they kill pedestrians much more easily and you can back up on things and people without seeing them.

Small cars are becoming safer all the time. Active safety (not being in an accident in the first place) is just as important as passive safety, and small cars definitely have the upper hand there. Not to mention that weigth doesn't equal safety; otherwise bike helmets would be made of steel and you wouldn't see F1 pilots (with ultra-light cars) that crash into walls at 100+mph walk out with a couple bruises.

Dave in the Bay Area should reconsider: More money in the gas tank means less money for other things.

Let's say this car uses 8 times less fuel than a SUV, and you drive a 60-mile round trip to work, at $4/gallon, it would cost $60/week in the SUV, as opposed to $7.50/week in the other car! You're saving $2600/year! And that's just on a short commute to work when you are alone in the vehicle anyways... The savings could be staggering, when you factor in the cost of the vehicle, personal milleage, etc...

I welcome this car because it is the first (very) fuel efficent car that does not cost $100K to start with. Besides , the car looks cool, too. Not everybody lives in California!

cool

I use the air conditioner a lot so does that mean that the MPG is lower? Also, when I'm driving, I usually accelerate to 30 when the lights turn green. Does this mean that it would take it 10 seconds to achieve this?

Peter:

Yes.

Possibly.

Also, I think this might be a pipe-dream. The Ariel Atom weighs over 1000lbs, and that's a car that has no roof, windshield, BODY, heater or air conditioner.

I think Carl's right. There's no way to build this car and hit the target weight without using materals that are expensive. That means that the 13K price tag or this car hitting the target weight and mpg = notgonnahappen.com

It has got to be as safe as a motorcycle or safer so I would buy one If big brother US government lets me use it.
Seems like Europe is light years ahead of the US now a days...What a shame

i can't beleive the smart has 40 horsepower and does 100km/h in the same time as this does it also gets double the mileage. the smart is a rip off it's slow and uncomfortable and about double the price. it's pretty cool but i think that the carver is still better with 186 mpg actually they might be tied i guess seeing as this car is a family vehicle

I do not believe the United States is not technically advanced enough. The fact of the matter is we are very technologicaly advanced. The problem is the government here in the USA takes there sweet time passing legislation to get anything going. The government spends more time worrying about making that extra buck in their pocket instead of providing better quality of life for the citizens, and this includes he automotive industy. I believe these cars are just what America needs. I have looked at several of the crash test ratings, and I would agree with some of the comments posted above. The crash tests ratings are some of the best. New materials are being produced everyday right in our backyards that can better our automotive industy. Why do that though? If the government allows these vehicles into the country, then they will not use as much oil, and therefore many politicians will not make any money. Look at it like this is you have oil companies paying you off day after day you would try to get the most out of it. So if you allow these gas guzzling cars, trucks and SUV's to continue then you are putting money in your pockets. Take those cars out then the government will not get there money. So unless new people are elected things will not change. We need leadership to pull us into the 21st century.

I like the style and I think the car would be a great sale.
hope it will come out soon, I'm looking forward to seeing them around.

Regarding the safety issue,
Air bags and other items that add weight to our US cars use a lot more gas. However, motorcycles do not have air bags or many other safety devices and yet we still drive those. I say, "let me make the choice of what I can drive while at the same time reducing my dependency on fuel and putting more money in MY pocket NOT the OPEC's pocket".
I think that the whole industry should go in this direction and legislation passed that makes our roads safe for these vehicles such as dedicated lanes. The benefits are far greater than just mph, there are also the benefits of less road damage, less air pollution, and a greater sense of keeping a GREEN mindset. The future of the world is in our hands and we need to start making the right decision TODAY even if we have to make some sacrifices.

Nice car, light, much safer than a motorcycle or a 60s era VW.

As a hybrid the 2 cylinder would get just short of 300 equivalent MPG. (See The google PHEV site) The acceleration would be just as good as a Prius. In PHEV mode the Loremo would consume about 40wh/mile + Fuel. Requiring only 1.6kwh for a 40 mile round trip commute.

If you use the AMERICAN A123 batteries you can recharge the vehicle to 80% in less than 5 min or 100% in less than 10 min.

So imagine a PHEV Loremo that uses less than 50g of bio diesel per year. Go green and buy your electric from a renewable source and you have the absolute lowest financial and ecological footprint with a rather modest change in life style. A change for the better in my opinion!

Our real discussion should be how "We" help this fledgling company get the car to market, internationally, en mass!

Any Ideas?

-TH

we are so behind the times here the in the big fat lazy united states.
Prius hybrid is vastly overrated.most owners only get 47 MPG.
only 47 you say? I got 40 MPG city and 50+ in my 2003 Golf TDI, sometimes as much as 65 MPG. and they can run on biodiesel.
electric is good but we are still digging up the planet for lithium for batteries.
Hydrogen is the answer, it can be harnessed from algae!!!
YES ALGAE.
I can't stand toyotas. their steering is numb, tire noise too much and sheet metal too thin. and whats up with that retarded shifter they put in the prius? just make it like a normal car, its the most awkward system to use Ive ever encountered.
Germans build some of the best engineered best riding cars on the planet and the most efficient.

Seems as slow as this model is you could walk and never spend a penny on fuel...of course you need a raincoat/umbrella for rainy days and a baseball bat to ward off dogs.

This is 1936 all over again.

Google the beetle circa 1936. 20-24 HP,aerodinamic, spartan.

I hear all this news about these fuel efficient cars. Why are none of them in the USA?

HA HA> you guys need to do your research the US is able and HAS done cars differently. More efficent. Back in 1990 GM made 100% Electric cars and had them in CAlifornia. Everyone loved them. The US took them Away and destroyed them. They did 0-60 in 7 seconds. Look up the movie. "who killed the electric car"
The govenment are NOT looking out for us or this earth.

Erm. First, a high charge capacitor is a no-go. If you hit it too hard, the plates will touch, and the dielectric will break down. To get an idea of what that'd be like, imagine the fuel tank exploding. If the capacitor held just as much energy, it'd be the same result-except it's easier to do that to a capacitor.

Barium titanate presents an amazing looking battery, though. (Titanium is the ninth most common element, barium is the twelfth. We're not looking at using ridiculously rare materials.) A biodiesel/battery hybrid could do this good with regenerative braking (as of today, the Prius is a joke, though).
What I'd like to see is something with that (Barium titanate), plus a flywheel, which would allow for 300+ horsepower over short periods of time. That's a force to be reckoned with, since it kills the one reason (low acceleration) not to buy an electric car.

Most true sports cars don't do better than this except for maybe a few. Sports Car does not mean RACE CAR. Sports Cars are for fun on the back roads and RACE CARS are for the track. This looks like a nice sports car. Check the specs of the old sports cars. Yes I know that a porsche is a sports car but most cant afford them anyway. Most would not drive the nice winding back roads any faster than this could do anyway. So why pay 60K for a car when 13K will do an save me a bundle in fuel costs as well.

"however, with such a huge 0-60 time, it should never be called a sports car"

We drive in planes, taxis, buses, why is it so important to have airbags 5mph bumpers, come on, I drive in a rice burner (small) I don't get on the road looking for demolition derby.

Just a thought, it's cool, but .... what about the supressed hydro technology? No emissions. No miles per gallon because fosil fuels aren't used! Water cars, Google it or Joe Cell.

How safe is the LOREMO just from looking at the way entry is gained into the automobile it looks quite dangerous because once you are seated into the car and for some unfortunate reason you have a front end collision there is no way out of the vehicle you become trapped and if there is a fire you are in a very precarious situation.

How safe is this automobile just by looking at the way entry is gained into the car it looks to be quite dangerous because if for some unfortunate reason you get into a front end collision you become trapped and there is no way out of this car and shuold there be a fire you are now in a very precarious situation

Great concept, sounds like we are going back to the early 70's. Only one problem I see with the car. Older generation will have a problem entering and exiting the vehicle. Along with shifting a standard drive train. Something to look at for the elderly with disabilities. Other then that, great job.

As far as emergency exit is concerned, the roof is detachable so you could get out the top, also the hatchback is another way out. As for safety, I suppose it should have been built with 3 wheels instead of 4. That would make it a motorcycle by U.S. definition. At any rate, maybe we should consider it to be a super safe motorcycle rather than a small unsafe car, although it has 4 wheels.

This is a new hope on the long road to better cars. i want to see more and more options for the GENERAL public. my problem is all arguments about the hybrids and electrics and the bio's...they bring out a new and exciting model, and right behind it, they slap a price tag on it thats out of reach for the majority. when can i expect to see a descent looking car with low/no emissions...plug in or not...thats actually affordable.

if we want to make a dent in the gas world, make a nice looking, good performing car for the masses!!!

Loved the Tesla roadster....till i saw the price tag!!

I think this is a great little car. Even if it changes a little or more weight is added, this is a great alternative to what we drive now. I would be very interested in buying one, even if it is just for commuting or daily city driving.

this car is the best car ive sen in all my years on gods green earth and thats the truth straight up

this car is the best car ive sen in all my years on gods green earth and thats the truth straight up

Not sure what all the concern is about the 0-60 speeds.
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/asian-cars/30595-all-cars-all-years-0-60-1-4mile-time.html

I would love for a vehicle to be made that would suit my needs. I have four children between the ages of four and twelve, all of whom are tall for their ages. My husband is over 6ft. 6in. tall and weighs near 250lbs. He doesn't fit a prius, nor any other gas efficient/green vehicle w/out jaws of life and a gallon of vaseline,maybe to wedge him in. The gas guzzling SUVs that are made so much of have been my savior. We attempted a minivan for three years b/f we gave up. With the seats pushed back as far as they go, all the children's knees touched the seat in front of them and left no room for groceries. On the upside, we rarely leave a three mile radius of our home, short trips to family. For the 'euro-record', each child packs a small backpack of toys. I fit all clothes for them and myself (for one week)in one large suitcase. One small suitcase for one additional pair shoes each and then a small carryon size suitcase for medical equipment (nebulizer/compressor), medicines one needs with children (tylenol, anti-diarrhea, vitamins for them and adults) and one basket of snacks for the trip(saves money and replaces less nutritious drive thru junk). Hardly excessive. One could argue that I did not need four children. However, I have three friends that are childless by choice. As I am a responsible parent, I feel it benefits the planet that I produce/parent these children to replace the children those friends (who are responsible and educated) are not raising.

It will never be in the USA. It's too efficient, big oil will not allow it. By the way, how do you get out after a crash?

You wont see UBER high mpg cars like this in the U.S. even when the gas prices are $10 a gal and we are up to our hubcaps in melt water. The oil co's, detroit and the politicians wont allow it, it will cut too much into their high profit margins..........

Yes,Europe is light years ahead of the US,and always will be as long as corporate America is run by gangsters and warmongers.

I have told many people about the Loremo, i find it an exciting, and timely technology, which is appropriately priced, as well.

I hope someone brings it to the U.S. ASAP.

This technology may be thought of as giving us either 5 times the current available oil supply,
or it may be thought of as producing 1/5 the greenhouse gasses per vehicle.

Both views are essentially true.

Consider the world changing effects of Biodiesel from ALGAE (15000 gallons of oil per acre!)
and the Loremo, (and copycats).
Far less reason to fight over Oil!
There is hope!

Chuck Darling
http://tinyurl.com/ysl8do

Ok, just to clear up the air with a few people that don't live in the United States, not everyone drives an SUV and thinks that we need a bigger vehicle than our neighbor. There are some of us that have little diesel cars and use biodiesel. My mom drives a little VW jetta TDI, manual transmission and gets 50 miles to the gallon. I have two sisters and a step dad and any family trip we take, we pack in that. We don't have any of the fancy dvd players or xm radio or leather seats or anything. Its just plain cloth seats, we plug in our portable dvd player, and we limit my baby sister to five toys. So not everyone drives a big suv and packs their childs every little toy for an over night vacation. For Christmas this year, my present was a Chevy Cobalt and I get an average of 35 mpg and my mom laughs at me. But its not because we don't want these smaller cars over here in the United States, its that the government won't allow them. My parents and I are so ready for the LOREMO to come to the US. But the way things look, they probably will be fixed to where here in the United States they will only get About 70 mpg tops! That is only because the oil companies pay the government to make all of these rules so that they don't lose any of their 100 billion dollar profits. So for anyone from Europe, not every American is selfish and spoiled. some of us still grow our own food, save our money, and drive little squish cars with high mileage.

My 1994 chevy Silerado gets 20 mpg, has 4wd, has 278000 mile on ti and is ecological because is it serves multiple roles in my family and has such a long life that it does not consume massive amounts of energy geting shipped around the world as scrap, melted down and turned into another economy car. To quit driving my truck to work I would have to own another vehicle that would not last as long. If you do not allow a truck to rust to death it will always be worth repairing. Ecological responsibility is not measured in mpg it is measured in total energy consumption.

My 1994 chevy Silerado gets 20 mpg, has 4wd, has 278000 mile on ti and is ecological because is it serves multiple roles in my family and has such a long life that it does not consume massive amounts of energy geting shipped around the world as scrap, melted down and turned into another economy car. To quit driving my truck to work I would have to own another vehicle that would not last as long. If you do not allow a truck to rust to death it will always be worth repairing. Ecological responsibility is not measured in mpg it is measured in total energy consumption.

Thte issue I see with this design has to do with vehicle entry and exit.

doors add structure and weight but how happy are people going to be if (as it appears) ingress and egress involve stepping over a tire to enter the vehiicle?

In a rain situation, one must get flooded waiting for the top to open as well as the water that would get in the car, that would be moldy in minutes in the southeast not to mention that you would get soaked on the shortest exposures.

If, as it appears, the entry is via the raised hood then how do you exit in a front end collision?

Just a few things that concern me.

this car is insane. supposed to come to market 2010. loving the entrance and seat formation :P!!

when can i buy one in the the states

I saw a program on Discover about a car built by a high school car club. It was a small sports car, but had a turbo diesel motor. They said it got over a 100 MPG. Any one else know anything about this car?

Short and to the point. All this diesel, hybrid, electric, etc. etc. Kindly look up a man called Smokey Yunick. This man had built some spectacular engines.He was highly accredited as an engineer / car builder. For a real treat, look him up. He was very active in the 50`s and 60`s. The cartel swallowed him up. Enjoy!

Nick Vacca

we have to build our own from old cars,strip them down,no extra weight, chop the tops,shorten trunk quarters and hood fenders , glass for plexy ,steel for aluminum or plastic, swap gas motors for diesel or electric and make plenty of overdrive for max mpg don't forget to add hydrogen. Fiat 500 diesel and smart diesel get about 70 mpg , but are not allowed in usa . We are being lied to , not safe , to polluting , lies lies lies

I drive a 18 wheeler semi , I burn 200 gallons a day some times . How many semis are on the roads ? How dose a 2 cylinder diesel car burning one gallon a day pollute?

I can drive my motorcycle with no seatbelt no helmet , why cant I drive any kind of car I want ?

Its suppose to be coming out in mass production in the USA at around 2010.

to non-green bill with a big family, 6'6" a good car for you is a versa. with the front seat all the way back, my 6'4" 180 pound frame can sit on the tailbone, knees 2" from the front seat. if frendi size isn't compromised by a 1.8 litre engine, you're good to go. if you still need a behemoth of a SUV, fine. but get a smaller house. 1700 sq feet should do fine. quit trying to impress others. it won't make your frendi any bigger. just feeds your hard (yeah-right) earned money to the utility company, gas station, etc etc etc justifying your excess of life style.

to non-green bill with a big family, 6'6" a good car for you is a versa. with the front seat all the way back, my 6'4" 180 pound frame can sit on the tailbone, knees 2" from the front seat. if frendi size isn't compromised by a 1.8 litre engine, you're good to go. if you still need a behemoth of a SUV, fine. but get a smaller house. 1700 sq feet should do fine. quit trying to impress others. it won't make your frendi any bigger. just feeds your hard (yeah-right) earned money to the utility company, gas station, etc etc etc justifying your excess of life style.