Spy shots of new "Topolino"

Fiat's small car, the 500, isn't actually that small. Competing against the Mini it rests in an awkward limbo between the A and B segment vehicles, above tiny city cars like the Smart and below regular small hatchbacks like the Fiesta.

More in the spirit of the original Fiat 500 is the disguised micro-car, currently undergoing testing out on the roads, codenamed "Topolino". It even shares it's layout with the classic Fiat, using a new rear-engined, rear-wheel drive platform. It'll be shared with BMW who'll use it in their new Isetta, another classic name to be resurrected. The car will have a 3+1 seating layout and a 65bhp 900cc engine which could get as much as 80mpg and less than 90g/km of CO2 emissions, one of the lowest from any production car.

Although it's the Fiat that's been caught testing (as visible by the Panda lights cobbled onto the back end), the Isetta is perhaps the more interesting concept. Auto Express showed a render of the possible car a while back (shown in the last image below) and whilst it's unfortunately unlikely to look like this, the fact that BMW are prepared to invest in something so diverse and put their own name to it (unlike the self-titled MINI) is something to celebrate.

Images: Automedia and Worldcarfans.com

Image: Auto Express

VW "one-litre" finally in the pipeline

I'm a few days late onto the scene with this one but I felt it an important way to start this blog, with a significant eco-focused project.

Volkswagen have decided to produce a limited run of a car very similar to their "one-litre" concept released in 2002, according to news on Car Magazine online. Production is likely to begin in 2010.

The original concept was capable of a staggering 282mpg, equivalent to the European measure of fuel consumption recording one litre of fuel for every 100km travelled (actually 0.99 litres but who's counting?), hence the name. The engine itself is rather less than one litre, displacing 299cc of pure diesel-fuelled economy and a less than headline-grabbing 8.5bhp. Thanks to the slippery aerodynamics and 300kg kerb weight, it can still hit around 75mph though it'll take a while to get there.

The production version is likely to use a more torquey and powerful twin cylinder turbodiesel engine, which will also provide more refinement than the single in the original concept. Just as well, considering magazines reported the original engine idled at 1400rpm and rattled to high heavens. Because of the change don't expect the same 282mpg of the original, but do expect it to be vastly more economical than any other production car available on the market.

According to Car, it's likely to be produced in limited numbers by Volkswagen's own prototype shop. The wait till 2010 has been necessary to let the price of producing the carbon monocoque fall, though don't expect the finished car to be available for less than €20,000 (£16,000) and it could be as high as €30,000 (£24,000). Due to the need for light weight you won't be getting much equipment with the car either, so until the concept is more economically viable (no pun intended) it's likely only to attract fairly well-off consumers, and probably a raft of headlines.

Well done to Volkswagen for going ahead with this project. Hopefully it will encourage other companies to follow suit and have the courage to produce cars that give out the message that clever technology and simple concepts are the way forward.

Images: Volkswagen