What Microcar Should Return as an EV?

The return of Isetta this spring in the form of the Microlino EV will give new and old fans of the bubble car a long-awaited present, while also serving as a reminder than EVs don't need to be very large to make sense as everyday transportation, at least in some settings. Instead, they can be just barely larger than a motorcycle—and require a parking spot almost as small.

As Microlino production gets going in Italy, it's time to recall that the BMW-produced Isetta was by no means the only bubble car of its time, but one of the better-known examples that happened to make their way stateside. In fact, it wasn't even the sole bubble car to feature a front-door layout, as demonstrated by the Heinkel Ireland below.

And as EV start-ups increasingly look to the past for inspiration, hanging their brands on name recognition (at least in classic car circles), it's time to recall other marques previously known for their pocket-sized cars—possible candidates for comebacks in EV form.

We've previously mentioned a few as possible candidates, including models from DAF and VEB Sachsenring, memories of which are relatively fresh for some Europeans.

Digging into the more distant past for inspiration quickly unearths a few more candidates from existing automakers, including Fiat's Multipla, 500 Giardiniera, and 850 Vignale. NSU's lineup contained quite a few cars that could be considered pocket-sized today, and some of them were even officially sold stateside decades ago.

Looking beyond Europe, Japanese automotive history has no shortage of cars that would have been considered small even in their home market, with the entire kei car and truck category, with models like the Subaru 360 having made a cameo appearance in the US in the past. A classic like the Honda Z360 comes to mind as well. The list of candidates from Japan seems almost endless, even if we focus on just one particular decade.

What microcar, kei car, or other small car model would you like to see make a retro-style comeback as an EV? Let us know in the comments below.