Mika Cars wants to build the Mino, a sporty, ultra-compact electric two-seater for the open road

Ultra-low volume car-making is kept alive by enthusiasts, whether they’re makers or consumers. One such company is the UK-based Mika Cars, a micro-manufacturer best known for its Meon and Meon E. This road-legal two-seater takes its inspiration from the classic beach buggy, an archetype that owes its origins to American designer Bruce Meyers and his VW Beetle-based Meyers Manx, launched in 1964.

The Meon and its electric sibling are similarly stripped down, open topped and ultra compact at just 3.06m long and 1.6m wide (a shade over the length of the original Issigonis Mini). Thanks to this frugal approach, a low-weight fibreglass body and bespoke chassis, the Meon E is light. In fact, the company calls it the ‘lightest, road-legal electric car in the world’.

Throw in a power unit producing the equivalent of 214 bhp and you get a hugely entertaining machine, with a supercar-bothering 3.5 second 60mph sprint and a top speed limited to 100mph. Whilst this serves up pure, untrammelled fun, there’s not much practicality – nothing in the way of weatherproofing, for example.

Enter the Mika Mino

That’s where this new model comes in. Recently named the Mika Mino, the tiny EV is currently under development. Intended to use the quadricycle rules that circumvent certain legislative restrictions (see also the Citroën Ami, for example), the Mino has enough grunt to enable it to outperform most other cars in this relatively low-powered class. The company has worked to create a bespoke extruded chassis in order to provide excellent crash protection, and as many of the components as possible have been sourced from the UK. Think of the Mino as a Meon that grew up and became a whole lot more sensible.

That means ditching the ultra-high-performance approach in favour of driving range. Currently, it's proposed to ship the little car with either a 16kWh or 32kWh battery pack, providing 80 to 160 miles of range respectively, as well as a top speed of around 56mph. Bear in mind that the little Ami will struggle to travel 50 miles or best 30mph and the Mino represents a far better choice for the daily commute.

Initial renders, shown here, depict a compact coupé reminiscent of a Japanese kei sports car, with plenty of sporting character. Although the company plans to get a prototype on the roads this year, full production would be dependent on a partnership with a larger company to bring the necessary investment. Here's hoping they find their perfect match.

Mino, currently concept only, Meon E, from £75,000, MikaCars.co.uk, @MikaSportsCars