RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The new revolution in transport all over the world, with bicycles, electric cars, valuing sustainability and micro-mobility (electric scooters and bikes), has impacted – for good – car manufacturers. In addition to electric cars, they are now producing scooters, bicycles, electric razor scooters and other modes that do not pollute.
Nelson Silveira, Director of Corporate Communication and Brand of General Motors Mercosur, believes that the future of cars is increasingly electric, autonomous and shared. “Today GM is an industry offering personal mobility solutions”, explains Silveira, who has been investing heavily in electric models and vehicle sharing.
Other brands, such as Toyota, Volkswagen, and BMW, are working to sell sustainable innovations for the market. Toyota has already announced that it will launch a 3-wheel scooter in 2020, a new model with a seat and also an electric puller that can be attached to a wheelchair.
The goal is to meet the high demand for lightweight models that travel short distances, in addition to including people with reduced mobility.
Volkswagen recently showed its Streetmate, which looks like a cross between a bicycle and a scooter. You can use it standing or seated and it is ideal for medium-range urban travel. The brand has also presented a 3-wheeled City Skater at the Geneva International Motor Show, a kind of electric skateboard for short distances, light enough to be carried on a bus, subway or car.
In September, BMW placed the E-Scooter on the European market for €800 (US$881), in addition to the X2 City, which can be folded and carried on other means of transport.
These novelties are not yet expected to arrive in Brazil, a slow and sluggish country on the path to sustainability, but it is gratifying to see this migration of automakers and, consequently, a transformation in people’s lives and health.