While I enjoy seeing these sleek, extremely efficient prototypes spring up, they beg the question "who would actually drive one." In a 200lb vehicle if you hit anything larger than a smart you are in trouble. Whether the passenger cell stays in tact or not, the acceleration from a head on collision would unquestionably kill you simply from the acceleration of your brain within your skull. Ultra lightweight vehicles will only ever be practical for urban use, where long sleek vehicles don't make sense anyway.

Try and buy one on their web site:

"Unfortunately, you will have to wait until 2009 before you have the pleasure of possessing your own Loremo."

Wouldn't it be possible to combine airbags with reinforcement techniques so that the minimum possible amount of acceleration is exerted on the occupants of the vehicle. Even if the passenger cell literally bounced off of a semi or something, the extra fractions of a second of absorption provided by the airbags could make huge difference in the amount of G-forces and acceleration experienced by the occupants.

I don't think this is an impossible problem to solve.

450Kg=992lbs not 204 not even 1,204.
20 hp? A 200cc Vespa has 21 hp, but it only weighs 308lbs.
http://www.vespausa.com/products/printspecsGT.cfm
That Vespa only gets 61.9mpg/3.8 l/100km
http://totalmotorcycle.com/MotorcycleFuelEconomyGuide/Other.htm
My B$ detector has gone off and I am not going to believe this one until objective information is provided.

Why not have a special lane on highways 100+ mpg smaller cars? Monsters (vans, pick-up trucks and large 4 x 4 gas guzzlers) should drive in the same lane as the 18 wheels.

Harvey-

I've thought that before. Especially in high traffic metro areas. But, I was thinking entire highways for cars under 4000 lbs or so. I would think the roads would be easier to build if they don't have to handle the 40 ton tractor-trailers. Narrow lanes, etc. People have pointed out the safety factor, but you'll notice they always talk about the car in relation to other vehicles, not anything unsafe about the car.

Robert S.-
Have you considered the possibility that the discrepancy between a Vespa and this car is because the vespa sucks? I mean 61 mpg? A european ford focus diesel will do that! That is a car that is bigger, weighs more, higher coefficient of drag, and has a much bigger engine. So comparing the Loremo to a diesel focus, what does your BS meter read? Mine broke, because it kept pegging listening to my boss...

JRod.

The VW concept had a fuel consumption of slightly under 1 liter/100km, so that would be almost 250 mpg - that's for two passengers with a top speed of 75 mph.

"I think its rather charming how they call the 3-cyl, 50hp version the 'GT'. Almost gets the blood pumping, doesn't it?"

Horsepower means nothing without reference to weight. I can certainly get excited about a sub-1000 lb vehicle with 50 horsepower -- probably quicker than most cars made 10 years ago and certainly dceent performance even by modern standards at 9 second 0-60 times.

If you said to someone "Oh, a little 2 liter 4-banger doesn't really get my heart pumping", then perhaps you should check out something like the Ariel Atom. It's one of the fastest cars in the world.

Once you start driving light cars, you'll appreciate what they can do and horsepower itself won't mean much.

The drag coefficient seems awfully high for this type of car.

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I find the design to be a great work. The vehicle parameters seem to align with the physics of such a lightweight and aerodynamic platform. The VW 1-liter car was another good example of reaching for designs that are at a whole new level of efficiency. This design provides side-by-side seating and faster acceleration in the "GT."

What boggles my mind is the pile of criticism amassed here on this work. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to produce any prototype and these folks have demonstrated one solution that possibly sets a new bar in vehicle efficiency.

In terms of crash worthiness, lightweight vehicles can be made to protect their occupants as is demonstrated by Formula One racing and the physics of engineered crushing and hence deceleration of occupants.

Remember that there is always a need for the implementation of new ideas and development of concepts! Those who try to make a better way need not be punished, whether or not they succeed. In this case, it is clear to me that they have made a great stride for showing that much more is possible than our status quo today. Oil is a limited resource and planning for a future that will appreciate this is only prudent.

What's new is the combination of diesel and hybrid.
Is a turbo for such a small engine even mass producable considering how fast it must spin?

correct me if i am wrong, but if i am in a 6,000 lb vehicle and i hit a semi truck head on (or even another suv) , i would decelerate just as quickly as if i was in a 2,000 vehicle. so what was your point about brain injury? in either case you are in trouble.

I'd just wish they'd make a hybrid AWD hatchback or sedan. I understand that the mileage would suffer, but that's what I'm looking for in a car.