Peugeot announces its BB1 concept city car

Peugeot says that the BB1 offers "a totally new solution to the current and future needs of urban mobility", and combines the utility of a car with the flexibility of a quad bike.

The BB1 can seat four people despite being merely 2500mm long, and this is partly due to the fact that it has no foot pedals, and the driver sits in a unique, slightly more vertical position. The BB1 is also highly manoeuvrable, and has a turning circle of 3.5 metres, and can even be parked perpendicularly to the pavement. The wing mirrors have been replaced by rear-view cameras, and the doors open backwards like suicide doors.

Two electric motors on each of the rear wheels provide 20bhp of power, or 10bhp per wheel, allowing the BB1 to go from 0-30km/h in 2.8 seconds. Two lithium-ion battery packs located under the right and left-hand rear seats give it a range of 121km, while emitting zero emissions.

The body is made from carbon fibre and weighs less than 600kg in total, and the car features double-wishbone front and rear suspension and electric power steering. The double bubbled roof not only gives good headroom, but also contains solar panels that operate in daylight to keep the car ventilated.

The BB1 also has technological features such as a multi-function colour display that links the phone, navigation system, internet access, the radio and MP3 player. The car is currently on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show.