With the planet’s cities continuing to swell, space is
understandably at a premium – and that includes the
roads. What’s more, government legislation dictates
cars must meet ever-lower emissions outputs in a bid
to make Earth greener, with some large cities around
the world, such as London, now implementing an
added ta x for driv ing cars in ‘low-emission zones’.
Vehicles will therefore have to adapt to a new life in
the city of the future.
Fortunately, vehicle manufacturers are already
well placed to meet these new demands for the cit y
car, with the emerging breed of small, hybrid city
cars marking the start of the transition.
Not only are these cars – such as the V W up! and
Skoda Citigo – small and compact to save on space,
they’re also extremely environmentally friendly,
meaning drivers won’t be blighted by increasingly
stringent inner-city emissions regulations.
A s cities are heav ily populated and often traffi c-
laden, big powerful engines in cars are superfl uous
for such a slow-moving environment. Therefore,
these new cit y cars are fi tted with small engines,
such as the 1.0-litre unit fi tted to the VW up!. The
advantage of this is two-fold: fi rst, the engines w ill be
greener, meaning they will fall on the right side of tax
and emissions legislation, plus they’ll use less fuel
(due to the small capacity of the engine), making
these vehicles ver y cheap to run – another reason for
the sector’s popularit y in the overall vehicle market.
A nd if the Toyota FV2 concept car is any thing to go by,
these cit y cars are going to get even smaller in f uture.Interior
Inspired by a bird’s
nest in design,
Renault says the
white hue of the
seats inspires
connotations
of lightness.Dashboard
The dashboard of the car acts as
an integrated tablet device,
allowing for fi rst-hand control of
the Fly ing Companion and other
connectivity features.Doors
These open
electrically, similar to
the fl ashy items found
on a Rolls Royce!Size
The small nature of the
KWID, with little
overhang either side of
each a xle, makes it an
ideal city vehicle.City
cars
The Renault
KWID concept
Renault Twizy
This clever city car from Renault is a compact
two-seater powered only by electricity, and is
on the road now.The French manufacturer’s new concept
is as wacky in design as it is in layoutLAND