At the Smith School's World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford which took place yesterday, Gordon Murray Design, the Britain-based limited automobiles manufacturer has showcased for first time its compact T.25 City Car.

The Gordon Murray Design T.25 is engineered as the ultimate city vehicle. Boasting exclusive weight, footprint, safety, usability and efficiency, the newly-presented urban ride strikes with 6-meters turning circle. The T.25 City Car also possesses ultra-compact dimensions - 1.3-meters width and 2.5-meters length, which allows it to use the maximum of the small parking spaces and crowded lanes. Its central driving position gives unparalleled control and visibility whilst supporting the ultra-flexible interior space.  In "shopping mode", the T.25 can be driver only, but offers 750-liters of storage space .

Sir David King, Founding Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, stated: "Our transport sector is hugely dependent on fossil fuels and we need to de-fossilise our economy as quickly as possible. We know most of the technologies already exist in delivering low carbon transportation and the T.25 and iStream® manufacturing processes are clear examples of how the transition can bring new and exciting developments".

The T.25 has been already seen testing on public roads and has featured in many publications but the Smith School World Forum is the ride's first official public appearance and Gordon Murray Design are excited to now be able to release the first images of the car's interior and seating position.

Professor Gordon Murray, CEO & Technical Director of Gordon Murray Design said: "We are very privileged to have been asked to show T.25 publicly for the first time at the World Forum as the aims of our Company are very much aligned with those of the Smith School and therefore this global event"

Gordon Murray Design T.25 City Car (2011)
Gordon Murray Design T.25 City Car (2011) - picture 1 of 3
Gordon Murray Design T.25 City Car (2011) - picture 2 of 3
Gordon Murray Design T.25 City Car (2011) - picture 3 of 3

T.25 USP's and Key Features:

The T.25 represents a major breakthrough in City Car design and is a vehicle that has been optimised through design for strength, performance, weight, cost, safety, usability, tooling, quality, energy efficiency, recyclable and ease of assembly.

The T.25 external dimensions create the opportunity to:

  • park at 90 degrees to the curb, offering real consumer benefits
  • park up to 3 cars in one parallel parking space
  • increase traffic flow explore the possibility of 2 vehicles travelling and overtaking in one conventional lane
  • reduce the environmental impact of vehicle manufacture (ie: lower material content etc) and day-to-day operation

The central driving position generates:

  • A unique, ‘cool' and fun driving experience
  • promotes safety and ease of parking as a result of excellent all-round visibility and road awareness
  • the opportunity to offer a single-seater option with retrofit bolt-in rear seats
  • class-leading rear passenger leg room (better than most ‘B-Segment' cars)

By virtue of the unique door opening system, the T.25 can:

  • be parked in very close proximity to other objects and still allow occupants to enter and exit the vehicle
  • allow occupants access from both sides of the vehicle
  • allow easy access to the driver's seat and easy access to the rear child seats

The ultra lightweight by design (approximately 550kg) means that:

  • component life is increased
  • reduced energy is required to power vehicle, giving rise to higher fuel efficiency (mpg/electric battery range).
  • a competitive power to weight ratio is achieved

A world-leading 6 metre turning circle will enhance urban manoeuvring and parking.

Body panels in the lower periphery of the car are all mechanically affixed and have split lines which are sympathetic to accident damage replacement, leading to rapid assembly times and low cost accident repair.

First car in class to feature lightweight, low cost independent rear suspension.

Wing mirrors are within the overall width of the body, thereby minimising accidental damage and subsequent mirror replacement.

Design for purpose means that the vehicle has excellent pedestrian impact qualities.

The inclusion of Formula 1 derived materials philosophy and technology coupled with chassis frame design (‘Direct Load Path') gives an immensely strong structure (‘safety cell') both in ‘end' and ‘side' impact scenarios. This is also designed to meet the cost targets of high volume production.

Flat under-floor improves aerodynamic efficiency.

Class-leading vehicle dynamics

High level turn indicators for good visibility.

Positioning of the fuel filler permits refueling from either side of the vehicle.

Centralised driving instrumentation and controls are designed to maximize drive control.

Six internal layout options with rear seat adjustment (adjustable within 20 seconds) sets new standards in small vehicle packaging – a long way in front of the Smart For 2 and the Toyota iQ.

Occupant capacity of between 1 and 3 persons. Luggage capacity of between 160 litres and 720 litres.

The T.25 has the potential to be first to market for a new "World Car Class" for efficient vehicles, demonstrating new levels of efficiency and low emissions – creating excellent publicity and marketing opportunities.