It may look rather quirky but bear with me, this is the new concept car revealed by energy company Shell.
The little three-seater has been described as ultra energy efficient and this is not the first time the car has been seen. The original model was seen in 2010 and was designed by Gordon Murray, who is well known for designing Formula One cars and the McLaren F1.
Changes were made to the original, a new prototype oil was developed for the car to improve efficiency. Shell also drafted in leading vehicle, engine and lubricant designers to ensure that all the three sections are tailor-made to work with each other.
Independent tests have shown that the little Shell car produced a 34% reduction in primary energy use when compared to the typical UK city car. If that wasn't enough, in the same tests the concept saw a 69% reduction when compared to the typical SUV. The tests also produced a steady state fuel consumption of 107 mpg when the car was travelling at 45 mph.
Not only does the car have improved fuel consumption but the CO2 emissions are also lower as a result. When compared against over cars, the concept was able to produce 28% lower emissions than a typical petrol-powered city car and 32% less than a hybrid car.
The car was designed using Gordon Murray's iStream production system, which enables the car to be lightweight, in fact this little car tips the scales at 550kg. The body is made using recycled carbon fibre and uses a 'tall and narrow' approach. Inside we see a central driving position with two passenger seats behind, where have I seen that before... The turning circle is smaller than that of a London Taxi so is ideal for tight and narrow city roads.
The question is would you want one? It may be frugal but it's not exactly sexy... Would you 'shell' out for this car or take your money elsewhere?