When we saw the Microlino electric bubble car for the first time, last year at IAA 2021, company representatives on the stand wanted to make it clear that it is not a car, but something different aimed at urban commuting. Now as the mini EV nears production, the company has revealed a special Pioneer Series limited to 999 examples.

These Pioneer Series vehicles are for those very early backers who ordered their Microlino nearly six years ago, when the vehicle was shown in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show 2016. These limited series models will be finished in one of two special colours, Atlantis Blue and Torino Aluminium, they get a sunroof, vegan leather and suede interior, portable Bluetooth speakers and a unique numbered plaque inside.

The rest is standard Microlino, so it draws from a 10.5 kWh battery pack that bestows it with a range of up to 110 miles (177 km). Power comes from a 12.5 bhp motor that will take this electric bubble car to a respectable top speed of 55 mph (90 km/h), more than enough for such a small urban-minded runabout.

Gallery: Microlino Pioneer Series

Just like the original BMW Isetta, the you climb aboard the Microlino through a refrigerator-like front door - the entire front end of the vehicle lifts away from the body with the steering wheel attached to it, also exactly like the classic. It seats two and has a surprisingly large cargo area of 230 litres (around 8 cu-ft) behind the seats, making it quite the practical grocery getter.

The Microlino costs from €12,500 (over £10,000), available for pre-order for a few years now, and the company says it can build them really quickly, at a rate of one vehicle every 20 minutes. The production start was planned for March of this year, but setbacks have caused the company to postpone it and even today it has not officially started. However, they promise that they they will ramp up quicker to compensate.