The Yamaha Motiv Is Cooler Than A Smart In Every Conceivable Way

Yamaha is the first major manufacturer to take up Gordon Murray's innovative car construction process, named iStream. The British F1 legend has spent a decade working on the process, with the Yamaha partnership resulting in the Motiv; a lightweight two-seat city car.

The iStream process is aimed at reducing the complexity and cost of manufacturing cars compared to the current stamped-steel, spot-welded construction. The new process involves using simple tubular steel frames that maintain top of the range rigidity and crash protection from its lightweight construction.

The Motiv is much like a Smart - identical in length but slightly narrower and about 100kg lighter. It'll come with both petrol and electric engines using the same technical layout as Murray's original T25 and T27 concepts, with powerplants mounted low down and slightly forward of the rear axle.

The petrol version is powered by a bespoke Yamaha 1.0-litre, three-cyilnder engine, which powers the rear wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. It's expected to output up to 80bhp, which coupled with the Motiv's light weight, low centre of gravity and rigid structure, could result in a nippy town car that's actually quite fun to drive.

The electric car - the 'Motiv-e' - will use UK-sourced components from Zytec, and performance is expected to be similar to the T27 concept's 33bhp, single-geared motor. It'll take 15 seconds to hit 62mph, which is just shy of its top speed.

While this is currently just a concept, Gordon Murray appears confident that the Yamaha board will sign off on the project. Should it get the go-ahead, expect Motivs to be sold in the UK, priced in the region of £10,000.