Find or Sell any Parts for Your Vehicle in USA

Gordon Murray’s MOTIV.e debuts in Tokyo

Fri, 22 Nov 2013

Gordon Murray, the famous McLaren Formula One and McLaren F1 road car designer, and bike-builder Yamaha unveiled the MOTIV.e at the Tokyo Motor Show. The MOTIV is a hot take on a city car in the vein of the Smart ForTwo and Aston Martin Cygnet.

Multiple versions of the MOTIV could be produced, with both electric and gas power. The electric version will have a 33-hp motor built by Zytec, which provides a gargantuan 660 lb-ft of torque. For the electric version, expect an 8.8-kWh battery pack with a recharge time of three hours on a standard socket. The gasoline unit gets a Yamaha 1.0-liter three-cylinder. That motor could have as much as 80 hp in a car that weighs less than two tons.

The shell is made from impact-resistant fabric and features both motorcycle and F1 cues. It was built using Murray’s iStream system, which incorporates F1-style composites in sheets and a tubular, reinforced frame. Gordon Murray Design says that the new technology not only delivers new levels of weight saving and safety, but it also has a low environmental impact.

The MOTIV is both narrower and lower than the similarly sized Smart, but it’s nearly identical in length.

Yamaha says the car is an exercise to test public reaction, but if all goes perfectly, the car could be in production as early as 2016.



About the Tokyo Motor Show

Japan is once again among the leaders of the global auto industry, and the Tokyo Motor Show promises to showcase the best of what that country has to offer. From green cars to super cars, technology to design, 2013 promises to be a banner year for the Tokyo Motor show. Autoweek will be on the show floor, bringing you the latest Tokyo reviews, news, photo galleries, and videos right here.








By Jake Lingeman