microcarfan
  • Electric microcar
  • Switzerland
  • Front door
  • Two on a bench

Microlino

Also known as Microlino 2.0, Microlino Lite, Microlino Spiaggina

A door in the nose, a bench for two, and headlamps stuck on the outside of the body: the BMW Isetta’s shape, rebuilt as an electric microcar by a family that made its name with kick scooters. Conceived, both Wikipedias say, as a publicity gag for Geneva in 2016, it took more than 500 reservations in two days.

Matt-green bubble car with black lamp pods and a fabric roof, parked on paving by plants and a fence.
A matt-green Microlino in a courtyard in May 2024.Photo: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Microlino

Microlino 2.0 · Turin

Built
2022–Shown at Geneva in March 2016; series production in Turin from 2022
Country
SwitzerlandMicro Mobility Systems, Küsnacht, Zürich; built in Turin, Italy
Maker
Micro Mobility Systems AGThe Ouboter family’s company; built in its own Turin plant, with CECOMP as partner
Engine
Electric motor at the backA battery of 6, 10.5 or 14 kWh; 5.5 or 10.5 kWh for the Lite
Power
12.5 kW17 PS; 6 kW for the Lite
Length
2,519 mm1,473 mm wide, 1,501 mm high
Weight
496 kg496–530 kg, by configuration
Seats
2Side by side, on a bench
Wheels
4Motor at the back, driving the rear wheels
Price new
€17,690Pioneer Series, Germany, 2023
Production
about 4,800By November 2025, by the founding family; about 3,700 by 2024
Top speed
90km/h90 km/h45 km/h for the Microlino Lite

How big is it?

True proportion

2.52 m

It is 451 mm shorter than a Fiat 500, about 1.4 adults laid end to end.

  • 1.47 m wide
  • 496 kg: about seven adults
  • Two seats side by side, entered through the front
  • 230 litres of luggage space
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

The story

History

Wim Ouboter founded Micro, the maker of the kick scooter, and the Microlino was his idea and his sons Oliver’s and Merlin’s.12 Development began in 2015.3 The concept was worked out with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and German Wikipedia adds Designwerk Technologies; the first prototype was built in China.12 Both Wikipedia articles describe it as conceived as a PR gag for the 86th Geneva Motor Show in March 2016. There it took more than 500 reservations in two days, and the family decided to build it.12 English Wikipedia’s infobox credits the design to Icona of Turin, and the Ouboters themselves are among the designers of microcars.1

The model was the bubble car, and the Isetta in particular: a closed egg with a door in the front, a sunroof, and two people side by side.124 BMW took no part.4

„Mit BMW hat der Microlino gar nichts zu tun – obgleich es an einem Versuch, die Bayern mit ins Projekt zu bekommen, nicht gemangelt hat.“

Sebastian Renz, auto motor und sport, 24 April 2023. In English: “The Microlino has nothing to do with BMW, although there was no lack of attempts to bring the Bavarians into the project.”4
Blue and white bubble car with its front door raised on a white stand marked Microlino Car Prototype #1, visitors around it.
Plate II · 2016 The first Microlino prototype on the Micro stand at Geneva, Switzerland, at its first showing in March 2016.Photo: Norbert Aepli, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Karolino affair

After Geneva the Ouboters agreed with Tazzari, the Italian maker of the Tazzari Zero electric car, to build the car in series; electrive names the contract maker as TMI.13 Production was put off again and again, which electrive put down to quality problems, and by 2019 reservations had reached about 15,000.53 Then the German sports-car firm Artega, of Delbrück in Westphalia, took over the contract maker, and in May 2019 its head, Klaus Dieter Frers, announced Artega’s own version of the car, the Karolino, with more than 150 claimed improvements.35

Micro Mobility Systems went to court in Munich. From 26 August 2019 Artega could neither advertise the Karolino nor show it at the Frankfurt Motor Show; electrive’s first report names the higher regional court, its second the Landgericht, the regional court, which may be two stages of one case.35

We won in all points, which means that they cannot exhibit the Karolino at the IAA – the Frankfurt Motor Show – or advertise it on his website

Merlin Ouboter, August 2019, as reported by electrive.3

Artega showed it at Frankfurt anyway, as the Karo. A third injunction, from the Landgericht München on 25 September 2019, barred it from offering, advertising, showing or presenting an L7e electric vehicle based on the design, and a penalty of €250,000 for breaking the first was pending.5 In late November the two sides settled out of court, on terms kept confidential and announced in January 2020, and Artega was free to sell its car.6 It became the Evetta.

Microlino 2.0

From 2019 the Ouboters worked with CECOMP, an engineering firm founded in 1978 that had built the Bolloré Bluecar for Paris’s Autolib’ scheme, to turn the Microlino 1.0 into a 2.0.126 The production version was shown in September 2021, and in 2022 series production began in Micro’s own factory in Turin, with about 100 employees; the first cars went to Swiss buyers.12 The launch edition, the Pioneer Series, was limited to 999 cars and cost €17,690 in Germany in 2023.4

Under the egg is an electric quadricycle of the heavier L7e class: a 12.5 kW (17 PS) motor at the back driving the rear wheels, 90 km/h (56 mph), and a choice of 6, 10.5 or 14 kWh batteries for about 91, 177 or 230 km (57, 110 or 143 miles).124 It is 2,519 mm (99 in) long and 1,473 mm (58 in) wide, weighs 496 to 530 kg (1,093 to 1,168 lb), and carries 230 litres of luggage. It charges from a household socket or a Type 2 point in three to four hours, and cannot be fast-charged.12 The maker claims half the parts of a conventional car.12

Sebastian Renz drove a Pioneer for auto motor und sport in April 2023. In town he found it superb, agile and fun with the roof open. The short wheelbase made the suspension buck, the unassisted steering was indirect, and out of town and on hills the 12.5 kW ran out of breath. Getting in was a contortion, because the steering wheel stays put while the front door swings away, and the door has to be pulled shut by hand.4

Lite, Spiaggina, and the bill

The Microlino Lite, shown at Geneva in February 2024, is a light quadricycle of 6 kW, limited to 45 km/h (28 mph) and under 425 kg, which in several countries can be driven on an AM moped licence, from 14 in some: a licence-free Microlino.12 At the Paris show that October came the Spiaggina, a limited beach car with open sides and a fabric roof that rolls back or comes off, in Portofino Blue or Sardinia Sage.12 In Switzerland it is the most-registered L7e vehicle.12

The money was harder. By November 2025 the founding family had put about 70 million into the car, the currency not stated, and about 4,800 had been built. German Wikipedia reports their complaint: in Switzerland it is registered as a small motorcycle but imported as a car, and in the European Union L7e cars get no electric-car subsidy and count for nothing in carmakers’ fleet carbon-dioxide targets. The family set up a Microcar Coalition to lobby, and Wim Ouboter told CH Media that building in Europe could hardly go on without political support.2

White bubble car and a black bare body structure on round turntables in front of a white Microlino wall.
Plate I · 2021 The production Microlino and its bare body shell on the Micro stand at IAA Mobility, Munich, Germany, in September 2021.Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Blue and white bubble car with its whole front swung open and its rear hatch raised, on a tiled showroom floor.
A blue and white Microlino with its front door and rear hatch open in a Swiss showroom in March 2024.Photo: Corvettec6r, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Light-blue bubble car with orange lamp pods and a dark roof on a show floor, a bare body shell behind.
A light-blue Microlino Lite, the 45 km/h version, at the Geneva International Motor Show, Switzerland, in February 2024.Photo: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Evetta

2023– · a record on this page

The other electric Isetta was the car Artega had built from the Microlino’s design. At the Frankfurt show on 20 September 2019, injunctions or not, it showed the Karo: an L7e of 90 km/h, 0–50 km/h in five seconds, a range of about 125 or 200 km, 514 kg and 300 litres of luggage, priced from €14,275 for the Classic to €21,995 for an Intro edition of 500, which was promised for late 2019, with a €2,500 deposit.75 Whether any Intro car reached a buyer is not known. After the settlement Artega called it the Karo-Isetta and claimed the blessing of the heirs of Ermenegildo Preti, who had designed the Iso Isetta.6

On 29 April 2022 ElectricBrands, a firm founded in 2020, bought Artega and the Karo, and planned a factory at Göttingen for 30,000 cars a year.8 It renamed the car Evetta and offered it in three versions: the closed Prima, limited to 1,954 cars; the Openair cabriolet, whose First Edition of 999 cost €33,333 in 2023; and the Cargo, a pick-up with a 1.50 by 1.30 m bed for 600 kg.910 The Evetta was 2,450 mm (96 in) long and 1,420 mm (56 in) wide, weighed 655 kg (1,444 lb), and had a 15 kW motor, 80 Nm, 90 km/h and a 14 or 18 kWh battery for up to 240 km.910 In February 2023 VDL Nedcar at Born, in the Netherlands, was chosen to build it, with first deliveries planned for early 2024 and 5,000 cars in the first year; ElectricBrands claimed 800 European dealers.910

On 29 January 2024 ElectricBrands, Evetta GmbH included, was placed in provisional self-administration, a Schutzschirmverfahren, citing rising development costs and a weak economy; the Evetta was then to be redesigned from two seats to three.11 Its chief executive left on 1 April, and that month electrive reported the company finished and the Evetta not coming to market.12 No series production has been confirmed. Photographs show the Karo at Frankfurt in 2019 and the three Evettas at the Classic-Gala at Schwetzingen in 2022.

Blue and white bubble car with whitewall tyres and a PB KARO plate on a round dark turntable.
The blue and white Artega Karo, Artega’s version of the Microlino, at the 2019 Frankfurt show, Germany.Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pale-green and white bubble car with a PRIMA plate on gravel in front of a palace building.
A pale-green Evetta Prima at the Classic-Gala Schwetzingen, Germany, in September 2022.Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 13

  • Blue and white bubble car on a wooden stand with a Microlino ring, folding bicycles behind. Opens a larger view

    1 A blue and white Microlino at the Seoul Mobility Show, South Korea, in April 2023.

  • Navy bubble car with dealer lettering parked on tarmac beside a silver sports car, gazebos and flags behind. Opens a larger view

    2 A navy Microlino at an outdoor car show in November 2023.

  • Orange bubble car with large SIZE MATTERS lettering on its side, parked on a hall floor beside an information stand. Opens a larger view

    3 An orange Microlino in ‘Size Matters’ livery at the Motortreff Bella Italia meeting, Motorworld München, Germany, in July 2024.

  • Pale-green and white bubble car with chrome lamp pods on a tiled floor beside a dealer counter. Opens a larger view

    4 A pale-green Microlino with a white roof on a dealer stand at IAA Mobility, Munich, Germany, in September 2023.

  • Crimson bubble car with a black roof and crimson wheels on a show floor, a motorcycle behind. Opens a larger view

    5 A crimson Microlino with a black roof at Auto Zürich, Switzerland, in October 2025.

8 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Red bubble car with lettering on its side parked in a street bay beside a dark SUV, plane trees behind. Opens a larger view

    6 A red right-hand-drive Microlino in a parking bay in London, England, in July 2026.

  • Side view of a white bubble car with white wheels parked on a pavement by a wire fence. Opens a larger view

    7 A white Microlino in profile in a street in Berlin, Germany, in May 2026.

  • Rear of a blue and white bubble car on a wooden stand, a child’s scooter beside it and visitors behind. Opens a larger view

    8 A blue and white Microlino from the rear three-quarter at the Seoul Mobility Show, South Korea, in April 2023.

  • Rear of a navy bubble car with white wheels and a tail-light strip, parked on tarmac by a building. Opens a larger view

    9 A navy Microlino from the rear three-quarter at IAA Mobility, Munich, Germany, in September 2023.

  • White bubble car with a Berlin plate parked by a green iron fence and a brick wall. Opens a larger view

    10 A white Microlino seen head-on in a street in Berlin, Germany, in May 2026.

  • Rear of a matt-green bubble car with a white outline map of Switzerland on its side, on a show floor. Opens a larger view

    11 A matt-green Microlino with a Swiss map graphic at Auto Zürich, Switzerland, in November 2024.

  • Rear of a light-blue bubble car with Lite script and a tail-light strip, on a white show floor. Opens a larger view

    12 A blue Microlino Lite from directly behind at the Geneva International Motor Show, Switzerland, in February 2024.

  • Rear of a red bubble car with a full-width tail-light strip and a British plate, parked on a street. Opens a larger view

    13 A red Microlino from directly behind in a London parking bay, England, in July 2026.

The car: Microlino 1.0 4

  • Red and white bubble car with chrome handle and round lamp pods on a white show floor. Opens a larger view

    14 A red and white Microlino at the Geneva Motor Show, Switzerland, in March 2018.

  • Side view of a blue and white bubble car with Microlino and Tazzari EV lettering, its front door raised. Opens a larger view

    15 A Microlino prototype (#1), lettered Tazzari EV, in profile with its front door open near Zürich, Switzerland, in October 2016.

  • Cream and white bubble-shaped car seen head-on, its whole front forming the door, beside a green vintage lorry in a museum hall. Opens a larger view

    16 The cream and white 2019 Microlino concept car at the Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, England, in August 2023.

  • Cream and white bubble car on a carpeted museum floor beside display panels, another small car behind. Opens a larger view

    17 The cream and white 2019 Microlino concept car on display in a museum in September 2025.

Inside and details 6

  • Black bench seat and bare floor inside a small car, seen through a wide front opening edged with patterned panels. Opens a larger view

    18 The bench seat and floor of a Microlino seen through its open front door at Motorworld München, Germany, in September 2021.

  • Black three-spoke steering wheel and a turquoise dashboard panel with white doodles and a row of switches. Opens a larger view

    19 The dashboard of a Microlino, with its steering wheel and patterned trim panel, at Motorworld München, Germany, in September 2021.

  • Blue and white bubble car with its front swung up, showing the steering column and a bench seat inside. Opens a larger view

    20 A blue and white Microlino with its front door open, showing the bench seat, at the Geneva Motor Show, Switzerland, in March 2018.

  • Black unpainted car body with welded pressings and a front door frame on wheels, on a show floor. Opens a larger view

    21 The bare body structure of a production Microlino, with its front door, at the Geneva International Motor Show, Switzerland, in February 2024.

  • Rear of an unpainted car body with the tailgate open, showing the load floor with a blue toy animal on it. Opens a larger view

    22 The bare Microlino body shell from behind, with its tailgate raised, at the Geneva International Motor Show, Switzerland, in February 2024.

  • Blue and white bubble car with its whole front swung open as a door, in a dim concrete courtyard by garages. Opens a larger view

    23 A blue and white Microlino prototype (#1), lettered Tazzari EV, with its front door open in a courtyard near Zürich, Switzerland, in October 2016.

Variants and relatives 5

  • Silver open bubble car without a roof, with brown quilted seats and an OPENAIR plate, on a wooden floor. Opens a larger view

    24 A silver Evetta Openair First Edition with leather seats at the Classic-Gala Schwetzingen, Germany, in September 2022.

  • Rear of an open blue bubble car with a striped canopy and Spiaggina script, a Micro plate on its tail. Opens a larger view

    25 The Microlino Spiaggina from the rear three-quarter at Auto Zürich, Switzerland, in November 2024.

  • Blue and white bubble cab with a short pick-up bed under a grey canvas cover and a CARGO plate. Opens a larger view

    26 A blue Evetta Cargo pick-up with a canvas-covered load bed at the Classic-Gala Schwetzingen, Germany, in September 2022.

  • Pale-green and white bubble car with its whole front swung open, parked in dappled shade. Opens a larger view

    27 An Evetta Prima with its front door open at the Classic-Gala Schwetzingen, Germany, in September 2022.

  • Open blue bubble car with a blue and white striped canopy and no doors, on a show floor. Opens a larger view

    28 The Microlino Spiaggina beach car with its striped canopy at Auto Zürich, Switzerland, in November 2024.

Picture credits (28)
  1. 1 Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. 2 Alexandre Prevot, CC BY-SA 2.0
  3. 3 Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
  4. 4 Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. 5 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. 6 Mike Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0
  7. 7 JoachimKohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0
  8. 8 Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0
  9. 9 Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0
  10. 10 JoachimKohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0
  11. 11 Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
  12. 12 Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
  13. 13 Mike Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0
  14. 14 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  15. 15 Nicolás Boullosa, CC BY 2.0
  16. 16 David Merrett, CC BY 2.0
  17. 17 Calreyn88, CC BY 4.0
  18. 18 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  19. 19 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  20. 20 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  21. 21 Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
  22. 22 Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
  23. 23 Nicolás Boullosa, CC BY 2.0
  24. 24 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  25. 25 Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0
  26. 26 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  27. 27 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  28. 28 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0

Variants

Prototype, car and beach car

The Microlino family
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
Microlino 1.02016–⁠19Prototypes; the first built in ChinaPrototypes only, as far as is known
Pioneer Series2022–⁠23The launch edition of the Microlino 2.0999
Microlino2022–Heavy quadricycle (L7e), 90 km/h; 6, 10.5 or 14 kWhAbout 4,800 in all by November 2025
Microlino Lite2024–Light quadricycle (L6e), 6 kW, 45 km/h, under 425 kg; an AM licenceNot found
Microlino Spiaggina2024–Open-sided beach car with a fabric roof; a limited editionNot found
Artega Karo, Evetta2019–⁠24The rival version from the former contract makerNo series production confirmed

Specification

The Microlino (L7e) from 2022 unless noted

Motor and battery

MotorAt the back, 12.5 kW (17 PS), driving the rear wheels124
Torque89 Nm4
Battery and range6 kWh, about 91 km; 10.5 kWh, about 177 km; 14 kWh, about 230 km124English Wikipedia’s infobox gives 5.5–15.0 kWh
ChargingHousehold socket or Type 2, 3–4 hours; no DC fast charging12

Body and chassis

BodyClosed, with a front door, a sunroof and headlamps mounted outside the body12
Seats2, side by side on a bench1
SteeringIndirect, without power assistance4
Luggage230 litres12

Dimensions

Length2,519 mm12
Width1,473 mm12
Height1,501 mm12
Weight496–530 kg, by configuration12About 450 kg without the battery, by auto motor und sport

Performance and running

Top speed90 km/h; 45 km/h for the Lite124
Microlino Lite6 kW; 5.5 kWh for about 100 km or 10.5 kWh for about 180 km12
Price new€17,690, Pioneer Series, Germany, 20234

How many were built?

Cars built, and the reservations that came first

About 4,800 by November 2025Both counts come from the maker or the founding family: about 3,700 by 2024, and about 4,800 by November 2025, as German Wikipedia reports the family telling CH Media. No year-by-year figure has been found.

  1. about 4,800built in Italy by November 2025One source

    German Wikipedia, from the founding family2

  2. about 3,700built by 2024One source

    English and German Wikipedia, both from the same statement by the maker12

  3. 999Pioneer Series launch editionOne source

    auto motor und sport4

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. The Isetta, electric

    A front door, a bench for two and outside headlamps, with no help from BMW.

  2. A stunt that sold

    Conceived, both Wikipedias say, as a publicity gag for Geneva in 2016, it took more than 500 reservations in two days.

  3. The Karolino case

    Munich’s courts stopped its former contract maker selling a near-copy in 2019, until the two sides settled.

Survivors and collecting

Today

The Microlino is still in production; no owners’ club or auction sale for it has been found. The 999 Pioneer Series cars of the launch are the obvious ones to keep, though that is an inference, not a market’s verdict.4 Photographs show Microlinos in the streets of London and Berlin in 2026, and the cream and white 2019 concept car on show at the Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, England, in 2023.

Sources

Numbered as in the text

Micro Mobility Systems’ own history has not been found. The story rests on the English and German Wikipedia articles, three electrive reports of the court case, and one road test; the Evetta’s on German Wikipedia and German motoring news. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. English Wikipedia, Microlino, read in full, with its infobox and references. Used as a lead.
  2. German Wikipedia, Microlino, read in full. Used as a lead.
  3. “Micro Mobility manages to block Artega Karolino”, electrive, 26 August 2019, updated 27 August.
  4. Sebastian Renz, “Microlino Pioneer: Erste Fahrt im Isetta-E-Klon”, auto motor und sport, 24 April 2023.
  5. “No go for little Karo(lino) aka Microlino”, electrive, 28 September 2019.
  6. “Microlino y Artega llegan a un acuerdo extrajudicial”, electrive (Spanish edition), 5 January 2020.
  7. “Artega stellt Elektro-Leichtfahrzeug Karo vor”, ecomento.de, 20 September 2019.
  8. “ElectricBrands übernimmt Artega, Mini-Elektroauto Karo soll Anfang 2023 starten”, ecomento.de, 29 April 2022.
  9. German Wikipedia, Evetta, read in full. Used as a lead.
  10. “E-Isetta kostet als Cabrio bis zu 33.333 Euro”, auto motor und sport, updated 17 February 2023.
  11. Florian Pillau, “E-Auto-Start-up ElectricBrands AG mit seinen Marken Evetta und XBus insolvent”, heise Autos, 2 February 2024.
  12. “Insolvente ElectricBrands vor dem Aus?”, electrive.net, 13 April 2024.