The World's Greatest Fuel Miser?

Imagine, for a moment, being able to drive from Munich, Germany

Could this be the world's most economical four-seater? (Photo: Loremo AG)

to Rome, Italy on just one tank of fuel. That's almost 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of beautiful European landscapes between refills, a bladder-busting range that's unchallenged by many passenger cars - including Volkswagen's excellent TDI turbodiesel or any hybrid vehicles - currently on the market. Now, to keep the gears in your imagination turning, imagine that the size of the tank was a mere 20 litres, a size less than half of what you might find in a regular subcompact car. Would you call it amazing? Too good to be true, perhaps? This is the kind of fuel consumption performance which can be expected from the Loremo LS, the world's only 1.5 L/100 km car.

Outright, the Loremo LS looks like a car that can achieve 1.5 L/100 km.

Body is impregnated with paint film: no toxic waste, no scratches, no paint chips. Cool. (Photo: Loremo AG)

Its body is teardrop-shaped, and has a super-low drag coefficient rating of just 0.20 Cd, which is a dramatic improvement over the average drag rating of 0.30 Cd. The body also happens to be made of a lightweight thermoplastic that's resistant to scrapes and scratches. Interestingly, if you look along its sides the car doesn't appear to have any doors; this is because they're mounted at the front and back end of the car. The driver and front seat passenger crawl in through the nose of the car; the 'hood' and windscreen unit are hinged at the front, similar in context at least to the classic '53 through '64 BMW-ISO Isetta, and likewise open up to provide easy step-in access. This brings us to the next intriguing thing about the Loremo LS, its interior.

Almost every car that's purchased today has four seats, if not

Basic interior is trimmed in Alcantara. Dashboard computer is optional. (Photo: Loremo AG)

more. The Loremo is no exception, but, when looking at its swooping profile, how could its designers fit four full-size adults inside with such a raked C-pillar and rear window? Easy: the rear seats are rear-facing, providing those in back with plenty of legroom, headroom and an excellent, if not different view out. The rear seats are accessed through the car's tailgate, which swings up to a near vertical position.

Inside, the furnishings are simple, yet tasteful; the contoured buckets are trimmed in plush Alcantara, while the dash, console and side trim are made of woven fabric and two-ply plastic. The LS doesn't skimp out on equipment either; it features dual airbags, a particulate filter for its engine, and a simple stereo system. For those used to a little more pampering, options such as an onboard computer, navigation, and air conditioning are available.

Unlike most economy cars, the Loremo has its engine mounted

Mid-engine, rear wheel drive should make the Loremo LS an interesting drive... (Photo: Loremo AG)

midship, driving the rear wheels. Performance enthusiasts should be happy to know that it has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, so it should be relatively neutral in the bends. And although its custom made 105/70 R 14 tires would be more at home on a Penny Farthing, it has a unique active-camber suspension to improve road contact with what little width there is to the tread. Interestingly, the suspension also adjusts its camber depending on the load and weight of the car. In town, the LS should be a breeze to drive, thanks to its short wheelbase and light curb weight.


To help achieve maximum fuel consumption, the LS is powered by a

With the Loremo, 'Shotgun' won't be the most popular seat. At least, not with kids. (Photo: Loremo AG)

tiny two-cylinder light pressure turbo diesel engine of undisclosed size, which makes 20-horsepower. For the record, that's about twice the output as the engine in Honda's most powerful non-commercial snow blower. Nevertheless, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, the diesel powerplant is more than enough to propel the LS to city and highway speeds, as the whole car weighs just 450 kg (992 lbs). It accelerates to 100 km/h from standstill in a leisurely 20 seconds (about the same as a smart fortwo cdi), but has a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) which is more than fast enough for everyday use. After all, it's worth remembering that at the end of the day, Loremo's claim to fame is that the car is capable of a penny-pinching 1.5 L/100 km.

For those who are in a bit more of a hurry to get where they're going, Loremo intends to introduce a more powerful version of the car called the GT. It will feature a 50-horsepower three-cylinder turbodiesel that will be able to halve the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time of the LS, and boost top speed to 220 km/h (137 mph). The GT consumes twice as much fuel, but relatively speaking, that's still a miniscule amount at just 2.7 L/100 km (88 mpg).

In many ways, the Loremo is more than a concept; it's a fully operational prototype that's headed to production.  Loremo expects the car to be on the streets of Europe by 2009, with prices starting from under E11,000 ($15,290 CAD) for the LS, and under E15,000 ($20,850 CAD) for the GT, giving hybrids and conventional economy cars a good run for their money.  To find out if Loremo has plans to sell its LS in your area, check out www.loremo.com.