Mindset Six50

Ex-VW design boss Murat Günak had some issues with the direction of today’s big auto market.  In his own words, they are “too big, too heavy and too expensive”.  Bucking that trend, Mr Günak launched Mindset autos, and released the concept for his Six50 electric hybrid car.  The Six50, like the plug-in hybrids the Chevy Volt and the Fisker Karma, gets its first 62 miles from a pure electric engine.  Afterward, a 24hp combustion engine fires, running on gasoline, giving the Six50 a hybrid push for another 496 miles.  With a small motor and even smaller engine, one would expect the Six50 to be far too slow for comfort.  The key here is that Günak has made the Six50 light– it will weigh only 1600 pounds.  The result is an acceleration from zero to sixty in six seconds and a smooth, eco-friendly ride.  Production models are expected in late 2009. [via treehugger]

Buy: $77,500