Geneva Gallery: Heuliez Mia

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: March 4th, 2010

Boxy cars are a divisive subject: bring up the Mk. 1 Scion xB, and people will either swoon with desire or faint with disgust. The Heuliez Mia looks to wade into the middle of this controversial segment, offering a huge amount of space in a weird, box-like form. With only a 80km-100km range at the starting price of €18,000, the Mia’s electric drivetrain will doubtless self-select out the anti-cubists, limiting its appeal to fans of the impractically practical. In dense urban centers, however, there will always be an audience for small-but-spacious people movers. But can the Heuliez compete with Asia’s proud tradition of automotive cubism?

#Design #FutureVehicles #Geneva #Heuliez #Mia

Edward Niedermeyer

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4 of 10 comments

JMII on Mar 04, 2010

I can't wait till ALL cars come with sliding doors... I'm sick of door dings and people who park too close to MY door.

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- Shaker on Mar 05, 2010
  
  I'm with you on the sliding doors - I'd buy this box because of them; but that "step-in" cutout gasket would likely accumulate frozen slush and freeze shut in a sloppy winter.
  
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Commando on Mar 04, 2010

You will never, ever, get me into one of those death traps. Not that the Feds would ever aprove it. Frontal impact? Fegeddaboudit. You're not coming out alive.

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- BuzzDog on Mar 05, 2010
  
  Never say "never." Take a look at a smart in profile, and you'll see that there's similar or less impact area, yet it manages to perform fairly well in crash tests. Not that I'd want to own/drive either of these vehicles for my commute on a 70 mph interstate highway, but as a "neighborhood electric vehicle" it makes more sense than a glorified golf cart.
  
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