Seat unveils the Minimó concept at MWC 2019
Seat has taken a giant leap in its urban micromobility strategy with the presentation of the Minimó at the Mobile World Congress, a concept car that has been developed as a mobility platform, showcasing the company’s vision of the urban mobility of tomorrow.
Seat President Luca de Meo explained how the Seat Minimó has been especially engineered to adapt to the mobility platforms that will shape the future of city driving, where traffic will be restricted and only a few operators will be able to offer mobility.
De Meo added, “This is the solution that carsharing companies have been waiting for, a model that will be key for improved profitability of this type of companies. The concept we are presenting today responds to the needs of both cities and carsharing providers.”
The Minimó has been developed by combining the best of two worlds: the safety and comfort of a car with the agility and easy parking of a motorcycle. Comfortably seating two passengers, this 100% electric concept car has been developed with an integrated battery swap system, enabling full vehicle charging in only a few minutes and provides a range of more than 100 kilometres.
As these cars don't rely on being taken to recharging points, this innovative system means that carsharing operating costs are effectively reduced by 50%.
At 2.5m long, and 1.24m wide, the car takes up 3.1 square metres of space versus the 7.2 square metres of a normal car, considerably reducing its ecological footprint in the city. The Minimó can be parked in a motorbike parking area, and in a traffic lane it would fit side by side in a space where only one average car fits.
“The Minimó is also a hyperconnected vehicle with built-in 5G technology that provides a convenient and smooth digital user experience based on the ‘Digital Access' key and wireless Android Auto on the car display without users having to connect their smartphone to any cable or socket. Among other functions, the car recognises whether the driver is 16 or 18 to adapt its speed to either 45 or 90 km/h, for example. In addition, with the Google Assistant on Android Auto, users can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel while using their voice to stay connected, easily get answers, manage tasks and control media,” de Meo explained.
With a concept car like the Minimó, Seat aims to reduce the vehicle footprint in urban areas. With this in mind, the company is working together with city councils to gain insights into their views and specific needs.
As a result of this joint effort, Seat will look into the possibilities of integrating the proposals made by public authorities and the citizens into the vehicle's development in order to offer spot-on solutions towards a shared purpose - to enhance urban mobility.
Seat has also announced the creation, in 2019, of its own software house that aims to continue strengthen the successful network of Volkswagen Group IT's Software Development Centres.
Seat unveils the Minimó concept at MWC 2019
Modified on Tuesday 26th February 2019
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Seat unveils the Minimó concept at MWC 2019