Urba Car by Robert Q Riley - Home Made Smart Car?

 There was once was a company that sold plans for a variety of things; most of which was cars. The company was Robert Q Riley Enterprises. Their website is gone but their Facebook page is still there but inactive. The plans page of their site is still up but the links (when one wants to buy the plans don't work and I don't know how much longer the website will remain up) don't really work. 

The one set of plans that I think is very close to being Smart Car like is the Urba car. It seems about the same size and shape as the Smart car. 

One can see the general shape and size is very similar to the Smart Fortwo. The doors are definitely different than that of the Smart car.

While I do like the gull wing doors, I can see there could be a problem if the vehicle was upside down. 

This shows the inside of the vehicle. It seems to have a similar propulsion system to that of the King Midget cars. It is similar to the Smart Fortwo in that it is rear engine and rear wheel drive.

Here is another view of the Urba Car.

I have read of some trying to get the plans for this and other vehicles by R Q Riley released. The designer's descendants - the designer who had passed away not long ago - are trying to get them released. I hope they are successful. 

There seems to be an electric version of the Urba car but it seems to have a slightly different less Smart Fortwo style shape but still pretty good looking. 

Reva NXG? a cooler Smart car?

 

I have found a cool looking micro car called the Reva NXG. I think it is about the size of a Smart Fortwo. The layout seems similar to a Smart Fortwo; perhaps like the Smart ED since it is an electric car. 

I think it would be cooler and more practical if it was an ICE car instead of an BEV. I think it would sound cooler, have a longer range and would be easier and faster to refuel. This is just me thinking out loud. 

The Reva NXG (above) reminds me of the Obvio 012 (which I do not know if it ever got made) but Reva NXG seems shorter. 

the Obvio 012 (below). Both the Reva NXG and the Obvio 012E are electric vehicles (the first 012 was an ICE vehicle with a 3 cylinder engine - IIRC). 

Neither the Obvio 012 or the Reva NGX came to the USA. It would have been neat if both did. I am not sure either will ever will come here to the USA but it is nice to dream. 

Some websites on this car

Reva NXG at Auto Express. 

Reva NGX at Concept Cars.

Reva NGX at Serious Cars.

The above are the ones I found. I think there are more but I didn't want to list too many. One can do a search and probably find more about it. 

I wonder how many cool cars there are out there that never get made. They seem to start out really cool and seemingly have a bright future but nothing happens to them and they never get made. 

TomLeeM

2024 / 01 / 29 

TomLeeM at Cafe Press. 

currently my art on things but I want to expand to some designs too. 

Luvly O? the Ikea of cars? assemble it yourself?

 

the Luvly O car? 

It is like a Smart Fortwo in size but a lot simpler in design. It is an electric vehicle. It seems like a 'bare bones' version of the Smart Fortwo. 

Auto Evolution (photo above is from their site) has an article on it. It seems - from the article - that it would be shipped like an Ikea furniture in packs and assembled in 'micro factories' around the world. In some ways it could be good. I can see some customization going on. I can see it as a candidate for having it 'wrapped' - like one would a cell phone - modified to fit the owners personality. 

New Atlas has an article on it. They mention that it has removable batteries but don't mention how big they are. If they are too big, might not be too removable or it would be difficult to do so. The article mentions a range of 62 miles. I can see this being good in city or small towns an an neighborhood electric vehicle. There are those who would love it for that purpose. 

ElecTrive has an article on it. It is like the Ikea of kit cars except one doesn't build it or assemble it yourself. I believe it would be 'flat packed' and delivered to 'mini factories' that would assemble it before being sold. The article a possible future vehicles that would include a sporty trike model and a small van. I wonder how these will turn out or look like. 

There are other articles on it; DuckDuckGo search results for Luvly O car. One could do a search using other search engines. This is just one that I prefer. 

Here is their Luvly Global site. It has photos of a few variations; a box shaped 'transport' type design (possible 'self driving' design?), a cargo design (a Luvly with a box attached), the Luvly design itself, and a sportier design but it has four wheels instead of three. 

TomLeeM

2023 / 10 / 17

 

FOMM Car of Japan? Smart Car Wannabe?

 

FOMM Company - Japan

the red FOMM car from Japan; the FOMM ONE.

I came across a vide on YouTube that showed this little car. It mentioned that there was three models; two of which were concept cars. I think they are very neat looking. 

YouTube - search results for FOMM ONE. 

I like the idea of it having removable batteries. I think one could have a separate set that is being charged while using one set. Once the battery is low, one just changes the batteries. 

I am not sure that not having a 'gas' (acceleration) pedal is a good idea. It has a brake pedal but one accelerates using paddles on the steering column? I think that would be tricky to use (even mentions this in the video below). 

It indicates it seats four people. With a car of that size, I don't see how anyone would really be comfortable in the back seat; unless they are small of stature or a small child. I think it could be added cargo space if the back seat could be 'flattened' forward to provide more cargo space for the back. 

Fully Charged - FOMM ONE - on YouTube. 

They show the concept cars and the ONE. It is very informative. I think one should watch it if one is interested in this unique car. 

I put this in the Smart Cars Are Cool blog since it reminds me of a Smart Fortwo or the Smart ED. This seats four people instead of just two people in the Fortwo. I am not sure how much room there is in the back seat since it is vey small; like the Fortwo. The dimensions seems very similar to the Fortwo. Like the Fortwo, I think this little vehicle would be great for around town and in cities. It would be easy to park and maneuver. Unlike the Fortwo, I wonder if it will ever come to the USA. It would be neat if it did. Perhaps it could be like the Fortwo in that there is a 'gas' pedal as well as the brake pedal. 

TomLeeM

2023 / 10 / 17

The Urbee Car; a Dream Gone?

 There was a little car that was being developed but isn't anymore. Their website is gone and their Facebook page is inactive. I think it is or was a cool little car. It is - like others like it - had a dream that never came about. I wonder how many cools cars are gone since their dream was never realized for a variety of reasons. 

Urbee Car - Facebook. The last post on their page dates back to 2014. Their website is gone; it doesn't come up if you click on the link. They have a photo where the vehicle is damaged due to improper shipping. I guess it is a picture of how the company looks now. 

It is a tiny car and would definitely fit into the 'modern micro car' category. I think it is really cool that it is (or parts of it?) was 3D printed. I think this makes it unique. 

I believe it was supposed to have rear wheel steer and it would be power was sent to the front wheels. I think this is not a good idea. It is for slow moving vehicles like fork lifts but not faster vehicles like this one. I think they should have gone with the traditional rear wheel drive and the front wheels would steer. I have read articles on how their arrangement would lead to problems. 

I believe it was supposed to be a hybrid vehicle. I think this is unusual for such a small vehicle but it makes more sense than all electric vehicle. I think a gas only version would be really great too. I think there are a variety of small engines they could have used. 

I think the reverse trike configuration is more stable than a trike one. I think it also helps being lower to the ground too. 

I think the design looks stable. It shows the front wheel drive while the back steers. I think they got this backwards. It seems to even have some form of a roll cage; making it safer? With the weight being lower and a reverse trike configuration might have made it more stable. I guess all these ideas are nice but not if they vehicle using it never came about. 

TomLeeM

2023 / 10 / 06

Nobe GT100? Gone the way of the Fortwo?

 I have been watching a three wheel electric car called the Nobe GT100. It is really cool looking with a retro look and style. It is an all electric vehicle. According to the site, it has three wheel drive. I like the idea of side by side seating. I think there is a back seat too but I doubt it has much room. 

Per the Nobe Facebook page, it came to the west coast of the USA. I was hoping it would come to the USA but I was hoping it would come to the east coast and not the west coast. The east coast has more people than the west coast. 

Nobe Cars on Facebook. Perhaps it will not only won't come to America but it also won't come anywhere? It is a shame since it is a really nice little car. It seems to have gone the way of the Smart ED and the Fortwo. I wonder how many cars that seemed to have a future but ended up without one. 

I am not sure how well an compact electric truck would have done. It seems there are those who only want a pickup truck if it is really big and haul a lot. I doubt the 500 could or would do either. It is a shame. I think it would or could have balanced out those really big pickup trucks and would be great for light delivery / pickup and for cities or towns. It is a shame since the 500 has a really cool retro look; IMO. 

the Nobe GT100. 

the Nobe 500 pickup truck. 

When one goes to the My Nobe site or the Nobe cars site, it seems to be closed due to unpaid bills? I think this is not a good sign. I have seen some really cool vehicles that don't go anywhere due to a lack of investors or anyone - with lots of money - who is truly interested in it. One would think it would have a future since electric cars are the future (per some people)? Their Nobe Cars Facebook page seems to be still there (doesn't really mean anything since there are other cars companies that have gone defunct but their Facebook page is still there - i.e. Urbee car on Facebook). 

TomLeeM

2023 / 10 / 02

New Mia 2.0? Modern Micro Car?

 

There seems to be a new Mia 2.0 (newer since there was a previous version of the Mia electric car) from Fox eMobility? It is very similar to the original but with much improvements to it. It is upgraded in a way similar to the way the original Mini Cooper was upgraded with the newer Mini Cooper; in a way the original Fiat 500 was upgraded in the newer Fiat 500. 

The original was electric and the newer one is also electric. 

This shows the sliding doors on either side. I think this is good since it would make it easier to get into or out of it; especially in tight parking spots. The driver can get in either side since the driver sits in the middle. The passengers can get in on either side for the passenger seat is slightly behind the driver on either side (left side passenger gets in the left side and the right side passenger gets into the right side). 

This shows the sliding door on one side. It shows how much room one has for getting into and out of it. 

Here it is shown in the cargo mode. I think it would be great for local and light deliveries. I think it could be used - with some creativity - for other things like selling items (coffee house on wheels or tea house on wheels or selling a variety of items from the back [like an ice cream truck]). 

Here is the driver with the vehicle in cargo mode.  I believe the mesh / screen would protect the driver in case of an emergency stop. 

This shows the drivers seat and the drivers dash. It shows the driver being in the middle. IMO; this is an improvement over the previous one. 

This shows it in the passenger mode. It shows that the passengers are on either side and slightly behind the driver. I like this configuration. Since the driver is in the middle, they would not have to make a left or right hand drive version of it. The driver will be the one to determine which side of the road that the driver needs to drive on (I believe this will be instinctive per what the driver is used to). 

TomLeeM

2023 / 09 / 13 

Microlino - An Updated Isetta That Is Smart Car size?

 I have been reading about the Microlino. 

It is a modern version of the Isetta; a bubble car from years ago. The Isetta on the Wikipedia site. It is an unique little car with one door; it opens from the front side. It had a very small engine. Some of them had three wheels (two in front and one in back) and some had four wheels (two in front and two close together in back). It did not have a back seat but it did have a bench seat in front. There were different variations of it. 

It is updated in not only the design but also the way it is propelled. It is updated in that the design is cleaner with a more modern look to it. Instead of a gasoline engine, it is powered by an electric motor and batteries. 

It is the same in that the back wheels are close together. It is also the same with how one enters / exits it; via the one door in front. It is also the same - about the same - in size to the older Isetta. 

I think it would be great as a city car where parking is not easy to find (the bigger the car, the harder to find a parking spot for it). The range isn't great for long distances but city travel - where one doesn't go far but has places to charge it) would be ideal. 

It is about the size of the Smart Fortwo but not really made for highways like the Smart Fortwo was. The Smart ED had a similar range but could go faster. 

I think it is a cool little car. I hope it is successful.  Microlino. I like the design. I have seen other variations of the Isetta that are modern versions of it but I don't know if any of them were made. 

The Microlino. 

This is the Isetta. One can see the one door in front. One can see how similar the design the Microlino is to it. I believe this is the BMW version. 

Thomas Lee Mullins

TomLeeM at Cafe Press.

Citroen's New 'Smart Car'? - Citroen Ami

 I am amazed how some companies seem to come out with a Smart car style vehicles. One would think that with the Smart car not doing so well, the would realize perhaps small cars might do so well in the USA. Perhaps they think it would do better in Europe and Asia where there are lots of little cars since their cities have narrow roads. There are bigger cars - still compact but bigger than the sub compact category - that are no longer sold in the USA (new ones in the compact car category). 

With Americans bigger, people want a bigger easier to get into and out of vehicle. Since I now own a bigger vehicle - 2005 Jeep Liberty SUV, I am realizing why this could be true. I found it easy to into and out of my Smart cars but other cars that were bigger were harder to get into and out of because of the low roof line or smaller doors. 

CNN as an article on it - 'This Tiny Electric Car Looks Like A Washing Machine Costs Just $6,000' . 

Copied from the article linked above.

It seems similar to the Smart car in size but not really in size. It is symmetrical; the front matches the back so one mold could be used for both the front and the back. It is great for cities and easy to park (good for cities with narrow streets or parking spots that are not easy to find). 

I think it could be a basis for a new Smart ForTwo.  It would be smaller than the older one but could be more maneuverable. It could be even better since it is electric but might not be as fast or travel as far as the old one (perhaps the downside which means it would need a lot of work to improve it - which could happen when technology develops).

copied from the article site linked above.

I think this would make for a great ForTwo interior, with some improvements and changes so it would be more ForTwo like. It would make for a great little city car; which is probably why the previous Smart cars are so popular in Europe. 

Thomas Lee Mullins

TomLeeM at Cafe Press

PS I miss my 2008 Smart ForTwo Pure and my 2012 Smart ForTwo Passion. It is a shame Smart didn't bring over the ForFour or the Roadster to the USA. I think a bigger (for the USA) ForTwo, the ForFour (perhaps bigger than the previous one) and the Roadster would have done well in the USA. Unfortunately that is just my opinion. I guess there is such a thing as too small for cars; especially for the American market. 

The Tesla 'Smart Car'? - a New Tesla Small Electric Vehicle

 There is an article by Auto Car Co UK about a possible small electric car by Tesla to be made in China but sold worldwide. I found the article to be really interesting. 

Per the article (linked above), it is to be designed in China and to be sold worldwide. I think that is a good idea for the Chinese market and for the Asian market. I think if they want one for the US market and the America's market, it should be designed in the USA and built in the USA. I think having it designed in the USA and having it made in the USA would make it more appealing. It would fit in with the 'made in the USA' trend that many want to follow. 

With so many small cars no longer be sold in the USA, I wonder if there is or was a market for small cars. It seems most in the USA prefer bigger cars; like in SUV's and trucks. With current situations (perhaps what they are could be another post?) and the possibility of gas prices going up, there might be a trend toward electric cars and smaller vehicles (hoping that trend includes hydrogen fuel cell cars but that is for another post). 

The photo is copied from the article linked above. 

It was designed for Tesla but I think it would also be a cool design for a future Smart ED. It appears to be a two door vehicle. It is longer than the Fortwo which I think make it more appealing the than the two seater from Smart. This design could be big enough for a back but it is not easy to tell by this design. 

I wonder if it could be expanded to have four doors like the ForFour by Smart (the version that never came to the USA but that is another story and heart ache). Since we won't really know the design of the car till it is done, we won't know if it could be expanded.

I wonder if it could be adapted to be a roadster (like the roadster that Smart never brought to the USA - also another story and another heartache). Perhaps at least a convertible with the top going down where the back seat (assuming it has a back seat) would be? Like the previous paragraph, we won't really know what the design is till it is completed and the winning choice is chosen. 

Per the article (linked above), the car might look quite differently than shown. One can only speculate on what it will look like. I am looking forward to how it would look and how it compares to the design in the article. I think there are some very creative people out there. 

Thomas Lee Mullins

TomLeeM at Cafe Press.

A Possible New Smart SUV - article by CarScoops and design by Aksyonov Nikita

I was looking for articles on the new Smart car that was going to be produced by Geely of China. I found this article by doing a Google / internet search. 

According to the article (note below), it is not by Smart or Geely but I think it is really cool looking. It has an AMC Gremlin look to it.

One can see the back of the vehicle that has that slanted back of an AMC Gremlin. If Smart doesn't use it, perhaps use it as an updated Gremlin for a revived AMC brand (just thinking out loud - to some AMC is gone for good but it is nice to dream about it coming back [perhaps Chrysler could revive the brand for electric cars? - alas also just thinking out loud]).

One can see the slanted back to the right of this photo. If AMC could be brought back, one would hope they would use the designs by Hot Rod; 'AMC Concept Cars; The Return of AMC'. 

I think even this has a Gremlin type look to it yet it also has that Smart look to it.

I hope someone makes it since I think it is really nice looking. 

The article is linked below. It shows the photos of the Smart car shown in the article and a note below it. I 'borrowed' some of the photos.

'note; the Fortwo SUV illustrations pictured were independently made by Aksyonov Nikita and are in no way endorsed by, made or related to Smart' 

these photos are from this site;

'After Geely Deal, Smart Appears To Be Prepping A New Electric SUV'

the article (link above ) date is March 2020.

To see the whole article, click on the article title above. I am 'borrowed' the blue one but it is shown in other colors at the site above by CarScoops. 

Thomas Lee Mullins

TomLeeM at Cafe Press. 

both web sites need a lot of work.

My Smart Car Is No More

 This is a short post / blog. It is about my second Smart Fortwo which was a Passion and 2012 which I bought in 2015. I had traded in my 2008 Smart Fortwo Pure which I had ordered in 2007. The first one was ordered online (something I have never done before). I enjoyed driving the two cars for a total of 12 years; 2008 to 2020. 

With Smart stopped selling the Fortwo in the USA and the last couple of years with them only selling the ED / electric version in the USA, it was getting harder to repair my little car since it was harder to get parts. It was

I don't remember how many miles my first one had. My second Smart car had over 109,000 miles on it. I am not sure it was made to last that long. 

I now drive a 2005 Jeep Liberty. It has more space, more seats than the Smart car. I drove my Smart for 12 years. It was time to move on; especially since Smart abandoned the US market. 

This doesn't mean I won't post other things about the Smart car or the Smart company. I have read that Smart was sold to a Chinese company and that they might come out with a SUV version (which might make it more appealing to more people; IMO). 

Thomas Lee Mullins 

    Cafe Press TomLeeM

Car Scoops 2025 Smart Roadster?

 Car Scoops came up with a design for a future Smart Fortwo that I think it is really cool looking. I love what they made. Here is the link to the article; Car Scoops Futuristic 2025 Smart Roadster Study Makes A Convincing Case For A Revival.  It is a fascinating article and worth reading. The car is - in my opinion - is very well done.

Even if Smart doesn't make it, I think it should be made using a totally different name; perhaps a really cool name. I wonder how many cool cars have come and gone since no one really realized their potential. I think this could be true with this. 

I know that the Smart car company might or would not make these but it is nice to dream that - perhaps one day - that they would consider it. It indicates it is the roadster but I think it could be a replacement for the Fortwo and the roadster. It could be a hybrid of the two. 

I think they chose a beautiful color for it. I think this could be the Fortwo version. It is bigger and would be considered safer than the previous Fortwo; which is good for the USA. There are times when people think that bigger is safer even though the Smart proves this isn't always true (small can be safe).

One can see the color and how it seems to change. I think that is due to lighting and the color.

I think this could be the Roadster version. It is really nice looking. It looks really comfortable inside. 

Perhaps this could be the updated Crossblade version? I think that either cross blade or roadster could apply to either of these. 

There are other photos of these cars at the site (linked above and below).

article link.

The article mentions Decembry. There is a part of that blog on this car (or seemingly on it).

Decembry Blogspot Smart Roadster

There doesn't seem to be much on the car except for two photos of the newer roadster.

I have noticed that Car Scoops has a section for the Smart car. 

Car Scoops Smart

I will be checking out other news on the Smart cars.

Thomas Lee Mullins

TomLeeM at Cafe Press.

PS I have had two Smart cars but will not be getting another Fortwo since the cost to repair 

is higher than getting a newer car. It was nice while it lasted.

2008 Smart Fortwo Pure blue with silver

2012 Smart Fortwo Passion black with silver

the photo above is me in my 2012.