Geneva 2019: Car sharing with Seat Minimó
CITY-FLITZER With the Minimó, Seat will present a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show (March 7 to 17) that looks strikingly similar to the Renault Twizy. But only at first glance. The vehicle, which is making its debut this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is intended primarily for urban car sharing. The two-seater [...]
The vehicle, which is making its debut this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is intended primarily for urban car sharing. The two-seater with an exchangeable battery has a range of more than 100 kilometers. Fabian Simmer, Digital Officer Seat: "At 2.50 meters long and 1.20 meters wide, the Minimó requires less than half the parking space of a conventional passenger car.
The battery, which is housed under the vehicle floor, is easily accessible and can be replaced in a few simple steps."
What's more, the Minimó offers a closed body with fixed doors, the equipment includes a heater and the car can also be cooled. Fabian Simmer: "These features make driving the little Spaniard pleasant in any weather."
Passengers are traveling in tandem
The tandem arrangement of the seats gives the driver and front passenger equal space. The distance between the driver's and passenger's hip points is the same as in the Seat Mii, and the distance between the occupants and the door is greater than in the Seat Ibiza.
Fabian Simmer: "Of course, the car is also connected in line with the times. For example, it offers wireless smartphone connectivity via Android Auto and supports Google voice assistant. Once connected, the display behind the steering wheel shows the contents of the cell phone."
Doors are folded up to the front
The passenger enters through a larger right-hand door and sits behind the driver. Both passengers nevertheless have more space at the sides than in many a modern compact car. The fact that the doors fold forward makes it easier to get in and out of tight parking spaces.
Thanks to built-in 5G technology, the Minimó is said to automatically detect whether the driver is 16 or 18 years old, for example, in order to adjust the vehicle's speed to a maximum of 45 or 90 km/h.
Market launch not yet determined
There are no details yet on the chances of a market launch. Seat is to cover urban micromobility within the Volkswagen Group, i.e. distances of less than ten kilometers. According to Seat, this accounts for 60 percent of the distances traveled by car.
In this area, Seat has already introduced an electrically powered pedal scooter, the Seat eXS Powered by Segway.
