Krazy Horse is building a dealer network for Microlino electric ‘bubble’ cars
It seems fairly certain that the future of powered personal transport in big cities will centre around new lightweight, electric machinery. ULEZ zones, congestion charges, smaller parking spaces and higher taxes on larger vehicles are all here or are in the pipeline, and it seems that if you don’t want to use public transport, you’ll be on a bicycle, e-bike, scooter, or motorbike.
Or something like this – a Microlino quadricycle. Built in Turin, Italy, by Swiss firm Micro Mobility Systems, it’s an Isetta bubble car for the 2020s, with battery power, two seats, a 55mph top speed, up to a 140-mile range, and four-hour charging. It’s a properly engineered vehicle with a pressed steel and aluminium full monocoque chassis. And it’s being imported into the UK by motorcycle dealer Krazy Horse, with prices starting from around £17,000.
Microlino UK business development manager Lee Frankish – who’s been in the trade for years and has worked for Polaris, Indian, Yamaha and Royal Enfield – spoke to BDN about the new quadricycle and the new dealer network.
“I was setting Krazy Horse up as a Royal Enfield dealer but was leaving Enfield after that. Paul Beamish, owner of Krazy Horse, asked me what I had planned next and said he had something for me to look at. When I first saw this little Fiat 500-esque retro-looking bubble car, I thought to myself, ‘this has got legs’. Paul said ‘we need a dealer network for this, can you set it up for me?’”
“So that’s what I’ve been doing for the past six months, since the first car came in. We started to do a few shows and events, including the Goodwood Revival and the NEC show. We’re currently getting them onto the Register A Vehicle (RAV) system, and we’ve recently been to Switzerland to tie up a few bits and pieces in terms of processes, warranties, and all that sort of stuff.
“The next stage is to get our teeth into setting up a dealer network. We’ve got a dealer agreement written and all the margins set, and we’ve got a logistics partner. WeMoveBikes (WMB) is probably the one we will work with, but we’ve still got some negotiation to do. This is a small vehicle; it sits on the same stillage and is probably lighter than a Harley-Davidson trike; it’s just under 600kg.”
Frankish is keen to convey that Microlino is a good fit for many bike dealers looking for new markets, especially in urban areas. “Given its L-category status, we plan to work closely with the MCIA. The profile in some motorcycle dealerships is an ideal fit for us as we look to recruit partners across the UK and Ireland.”
More info on Microlino at: www.microlino-car.com/en-uk/become-a-dealer.