Picture inside: Meet the tiny Colibri, Germany's one-seat wonder car.

The impossible dream of scoring the perfect city
parking spot is about to get somewhat more
possible – at least in Germany, where the tiny
Colibri, a single-seat electric car from upstart
Innovative Mobility Automobile (IMA), is headed
for production.
Set to become available for test-drives and pre-
orders this year, and scheduled to enter series
production during 2016, the Colibri is aimed
squarely at businesses that operate fleets of
service vehicles in densely populated urban areas,
where parking is at a premium. But that doesn’t
mean IMA isn’t also trying to woo everyday
drivers, says Thomas delos Santos, IMA’s founder
and chief executive officer.
In fact, the company has already received more
than 1,200 orders from private customers. Another
indication of the car’s early popularity: More than
150 dealers from around the world (mostly in
Europe, but also including Israel, Brazil, the United
States and Australia) have applied for licenses to
sell the Colibri. And collectively, those dealers
estimate there’s enough consumer interest to sell
another 5,000 cars, says delos Santos.
IMA officials decided to name the Colibri after a
genus of hummingbird because it reflects the car’s
chief qualities: small, quick and speedy. “We also
wanted to create a cost-saving solution that’s
safe, comfortable and nice to look at, too,” he
explains.
The Colibri appears to fit the bill on all counts. It
weighs a mere 970lbs and measures about 9ft
long, 4ft wide and 4½ ft tall. And at a starting price
of €10,990 (about $12,500) plus a monthly
battery-rental fee of about $45, it’s roughly
comparable to its most obvious rival in Europe,
Renault’s Twizy electric microcar.
Why just one seat? IMA officials felt that to be
successful, the car had to be priced significantly
less than traditional urban runabouts. “It’s priced
at least 30 percent lower than a combustion-driven
microcar,” delos Santos says. “We had to decide if
we wanted a second or third seat or to achieve our
cost goals. People think they need more seats,
even though they really don’t. Most people drive
alone.”
The car features plastic body panels – including a
very exotic gull-wing driver’s side door – over a
stiff steel frame. Unlike the Twizy, the Colibri’s
cockpit is completely enclosed, and its rear cargo
area is spacious enough to accommodate a
week’s worth of groceries.
Motivation comes from a 50kw electric motor
(about 67hp) matched to a single-speed
transmission. The rear-wheel-drive Colibri will zip
from zero to 62mph in a respectable 9.9sec and
press on to a top speed of 75mph. A lithium iron
phosphate battery pack fully charges in about
2½ hrs from a household outlet. IMA estimates the
car will cruise for about 68 miles on full charge.
Initially, consumers will be able to test-drive a
Colibri only in Germany. But IMA officials hope to
expand availability into other countries later in the
year.
Can the Colibri and cars of its ilk change the face
of urban mobility in Europe? It won’t be easy. After
selling some 9,000 Twizys in 2012, Renault saw
sales of its petite plug-in slide rather dramatically
in 2013 and 2014. Toyota is approaching the niche
with caution. The company’s acclaimed i-Road ,
which recently completed a series of consumer
trials in Japan, has arrived in Europe to commence
a small-scale, three-year car-sharing program in
Grenoble, France.
But despite some memorable failures (the US-built
Corbin Motors Sparrow comes to mind, as does
the UK’s oft-derided Sinclair C5 ), the market for
single-seat urban microcars is showing signs of
life. The self-balancing Lit Motors C1 is
approaching production, and the svelte Zagato
Volpe is gaining momentum in Italy. Ultimately,
though, such cars’ greatest rival is the humble
scooter. In Germany, a 50cc Vespa Primavera
starts at €3,250 (about $3,700). Raincoat and
backpack not included.