Mindset electric car hits the road in style
Click above for a gallery of the Mindset electric car
With all of the recent delays and stalled introductions of various eco-friendly automobiles that we've witnessed over the years, it's rather refreshing to see one that actually appears to be moving along quite nicely. We first heard about the Mindset electric car just under a year ago, and at that time, company founder Murat Günak, who previously worked for Volkswagen, suggested that he'd like to see full-scale models by the end of 2008 and running proof-of-concept vehicles in 2009. He succeeded in that first goal, and... whaddaya know, he managed to hit the second milestone as well. Hauke Schrieber from Germany's Auto Bild has actually gotten to drive a real live Mindset on public roads, and he seems pretty impressed.
Powertrain details include a 94-horsepower electric motor and a lithium ion battery pack that reportedly has enough capacity to run for over 100 miles after a six-hour charge. For longer trips, a gasoline-fed single cylinder engine can kick in to keep the fun rolling. Assuming adequate funding is secured, the company hopes to produce 10,000 of the little Karmann Ghia-esque electric vehicles in its first year of production, selling for about 50,000 euros each, which translates into about $65K at current exchange rates.
Gallery: Mindset electric car
[Source: Auto Bild]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
GoodCheer 12:02PM (1/30/2009)
Our rear fenders:
The opposite of aerodynamics.
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Herm 12:14PM (1/30/2009)
The front is cute, but the back is so .... This is what happens when you let engineers design cars.
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Mirko 3:51PM (1/30/2009)
Murat Günak is not an engineer. He is a designer... he has been responsible for things like the Peugeot 206, the original SLK, the Scirocco...
Chris M 7:43PM (1/30/2009)
...which makes this personal design for his own production car attempt even more inexplicable.
Vehicles like the Aptera may look odd, but at least have the excuse of great aerodynamics and functionality. This just looks odd for no good reason.
Maybe this is just a cobbled together prototype, and the final version will be better designed. One can only hope.
Herm 12:20PM (1/30/2009)
I think if they heavily tinted the back glass and got rid of those yellow tires it would not look so odd.. I like that bench seat in the front.
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Meme 12:26PM (1/30/2009)
Looks like they took the front end of a Mini, the tail of the Aerocivic, the body of a Delorean, and crossed the wheels of a Porsche with those of a stagecoach.
May I suggest a slogan for them?
"The Mindset: For When You Want To Prove Dr. Pangloss Wrong."
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Chris M 5:30PM (1/31/2009)
Too bad most people won't get the "Dr. Pangloss" reference. (see "Candide")
I'd just like to say that this is definitely NOT the best of all possible cars!
Tim 12:28PM (1/30/2009)
"...$65K at current exchange rates."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
Good luck with that...
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Snoopy 1:20AM (2/01/2009)
That is better than a Tesla. They might not be "bringing it down" that quickly, but $30k less is a pretty impressive milestone.
302YJ 12:34PM (1/30/2009)
Can anyone explain the design, weight, or aero advantage of the rear axle/end of the car? I can't see what benifit they think they are gaining.
The Design is ugly.
The wieght is probably equal.
And Aero looks worse, since every other electric car wants to cover and streamline the rear wheels fully if possible.
Maybe I'm missing something?
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Zeph 1:02PM (1/30/2009)
When the autoindustry wants to trash technology that the consumerbase would naturally want they put it under subpar design and deliberate engineering faults, so as to work on two levels: Making people associate good ideas with unharmonious design, in an attempt to make them subconsciously develop an inate dislike of the concept, and, secondly, to make the viehicles underperform so they lose in comparison with the automobiles offered as standard. The opposite is true, underpar technology is wrapped in sexy metal and tuned to an inch of blowing up, so people associate it with a positive trend.
The reason for this is simply to trick people into the technological trends that most suit the corporatocracy.
Rational choices would have us in full electric, H2O or, at the very least, ethanol 100 automobiles, not raping the earth so we can pollute the sky. And I'm not talking about carbon, that's just further lies and manipulation.
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jharlan 1:23PM (1/30/2009)
Looks good, way too pricey, another toy for the rich, which severely limits market appeal. The battery pack is the problem most likely. I guess the volks will have to wait a little longer. If they can actually turn a profit selling those to the Saudi Royal Family, more power to them.
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gorr 2:04PM (1/30/2009)
Probably the best battery car yet with an on-board small gasoline battery recharger and performance enhancer like i said to include more then one year ago. I don't like the wheels and the shape and finnally i don't like anything but it's way better then a tesla, imiev, zenn, think.
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Ed 2:06PM (1/30/2009)
Looks like it could be an electric VW Karmann Ghia. :-)
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Rick 2:05PM (1/30/2009)
The Mini Cooper front is cool, but the back? The open tires with fenders usually go in the front, not the rear. Cover that rear up with paneling and give the wheels a normal wheel arch fender like a normal car and rethink the trunk and it wouldn't be too bad.
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C'est Raoul 2:27PM (1/30/2009)
I love it.
I don't understand the open wheels.
It is quite a commented post. Does not let people indifferent.
It's expensive. I usually use the 1$ to 1e change rate for such product. i.e 65k$US as a comparison. (price in Europe often include a VAT tax of close to 20%, and everything is more expensive in general).
Those price don't mean much anyway. It should be all based on huge volume to properly compare.
Great design. Original and all.
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richard 3:03PM (1/30/2009)
holy crap is this ugly.
Honda CRX + mini + delorian + 10 speed bike = Ugly as sin.
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stevezilla 3:04PM (1/30/2009)
I want to like this -- even with the asymmetrical back end, but the rear wheels are too strange. Make the back wheels more conventional and the funky asymmetric back end will stand-out more. I especially like the "glove box" treatment and the airy interior.
how about a mini-coupe version, like a Karmann Ghia?
overall, i like the design.
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richard 3:06PM (1/30/2009)
I also forgot to mention how relieved I am after seeing this car to know I can still work as a car designer after a major head trama rendering me retarded.
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david 7:36PM (1/30/2009)
I love it - awesome car. Should be $20K.
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