Gordon Murray’s path breaking T.25 City Car has made its first official public appearance at the Smith School’s World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford, England. The T.25 has all the ingredients to revolutionise the global automobile industry and it also shows that small cars can not only help reduce carbon footprint, but can also be to drive around. Murray has taken inspiration from the Mclaren F1 supercar and the seating layout (1+) can accommodate two passengers.

The tiny T.25, just eight feet long and four feet wide, signifies a major breakthrough in city car design with respect to weight, footprint, safety, usability and fuel efficiency. The car does not have any conventional doors, instead it features a front hinged door. Power comes to the T.25 from a tiny 51bhp three cylinder engine that allows the car to run from 0-100 kmph in less than 17 seconds. The engine has been mated to a clutchless transmission. And fuel mileage is another big advantage with this city car, yes it gives you about 22km/l.

The T.25 has the capability to take u-turns over a circle of 3m radius and eases the congestion problem with its tiny dimensions. The car is likely to be launched in 2012 and it seems like the manufacturing centres would be situated near areas that are densely populated, like India and China. And you don’t have to worry about the car’s strength, because it has got a tubular space frame steel chassis which will allow it to withstand in-city impacts with dignity.

The T.25 carries a few similarities with our very own Tata Nano. The pricing, for one, is quite similar. The T.25 will cost Rs 1 Lakh or 1212 Pound Sterling. Apart from that, both the cars have their entire powertrain mounted at the rear of the car.

Sir David King, Founding Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment said, “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”.

Gordon Murray Design was established in 2007, with the main focus on developing innovative and disruptive automotive manufacturing technology trademarked iStream and the design and prototyping of the T.25 city car was of prime importance to both the development and validation of iStream.

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.”