Cool Hunting

A new auto industry start-up, Mindset hopes to help change our gas guzzling ways by introducing the Six50, a new Li-Ion battery powered electric/gas hybrid that reportedly gets 800 kilometer (496 miles) per charge and tank. Rooftop-mounted solar panels also assist battery charging if need be.

In response to an auto industry that is "too big, too heavy, too expensive," co-founder of Mindset and former Head of Design at Volkswagen, Murat Günak, set out to create a lighter and more efficient car that weighs in at just 650 kilos (1,430 pounds), hence the name Six50. According to recent reports, the prototype made of aluminum and plastic weighs in at around 800 kilos (1,763 pounds), so there is a still a bit of work to be done to hit the target. But even at its current weight the car features a 70 KW (95 horsepower) engine that tops out around 140km/h (75mph) and goes from 0-100km/h in just under six seconds. The body shape is somewhere in between an SUV and wagon, comfortably seating four (although we wish it had four doors). Rounded corners and features give it a friendly look but the big wheels provide an aggressive, stable stance.

The Six50 is expected to hit the European market sometime in late 2009 at the steep price of around €50,000 (about $77,200). Still beats filling up a Hummer.

via Treehugger