First look: Loremo's fuel-miserly LS coupe

FROM some angles the Loremo 2+2 coupe - unveilled at last week's Geneva motor show - looks suspiciously like a Porsche 911, but the innovative German car-maker Loremo AG has another message – economy.

The Loremo comes with a fuel-busting claim of 1.5L/100km – 157mpg in the old scale – and the company, founded in 2000 by three Bavarians, is planning to bring its cars into low-volume production.

A key to its low fuel figure is a 95kg lightweight steel chassis, a patented super-strong linear cell structure. Thermoplastic body panels are light, weatherproof and scratch-resistant. It substitutes the classical paint with a thin film, in the colour of the car, during the manufacturing process.

The makers claim the car can travel from Munich to Rome, a distance of more than 1000km, on one 20-litre tank of fuel. Advanced aerodynamics achieve a drag co-efficient of 0.20Cd.

Power is courtesy of a 15kW two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that gives the car a top speed of 160km/h and a sluggish 0-100km/h time of 20 seconds.

Inside, the spartan interior design does away with unnecessary fittings and its two-ply plastic construction does not need any additional finishing.

Alcantara trim and high-tech fabrics are used inside, while air-conditioning, an on-board computer (with navigation) and an MP3 player are optional.

At only 3840mm long and 1360mm wide, the Loremo is a true mini. Production is expected to start next year with prices from under $30,000.