For those in the numerous European nations out there, the Aixam brand is a well known name, the largest producer of half-cars in the world and a perfect chance to purchase and use a ‘green’ vehicle instead of the gas guzzlers that larger cars are.
Hailing from Aix-les-Bains, France, the Aixam automobile company was first founded in 1983 as a producer of half cars. Originally the company started operations in an old AROLA factory after they closed up shop. For a short while in the 1990s, Aixam began making standard sized cars under its Mega brand, but the project didn’ t last too long as the same brand name now applies to their line of Half Vans instead.
The cars themselves fit into the Aixam A.7XX series and are powered by Kubota diesel engines, small and extremely gas efficient. The sizes of the cars do vary as the smallest models do not even reach 30 miles per hour, actually making them eligible to drive without a driver’s license in many European countries (this doesn’t include the UK). In the UK, the vehicles are classified as quadricycles because of their size and power, but are classified as standard cars for tax and insurance purposes. For this reason, standard licensing is required to drive one.
The car itself is something of a ‘green’ vehicle blessing. The fastest Aixam maxes out around 60 mph but gets upwards of 90 miles to the gallon and despite the small frame has a decent amount of room. The Aixam is built with an alloy frame and plastic paneling and there are now electric versions of their vehicles available for further gas economy.
Today, the Aixam line consists of five different vehicles, including its classic A series of quadricycle class half cars as well as four others. They feature an Aixam Scouty convertible, the Crossline, a series of SUV-style vehicles, and their two Mega brands – the Moskito Micro Pick-up and the MultiTruck. The most commonly seen of the lines is the A-line, the classic half car series that the company has been making for 25 years. However, as they expand, they attempt to find new markets for their half cars.
The Miro Pick-up and Multi Truck have only been around since 2002 while before that Aixam dabbled in making full sized cars with a Monte Carlo and a couple of other Mega branded attempts. However, the brand has long excelled in crafting these smaller half-cars and for that reason has returned to developing further small car technologies.
The recent bout of Smart cars and other brand names dabbling in the half-car market has created a larger forum of competition in recent years, to not only expand the product line but to increase fuel economy in a market with higher CAFE standards and more expensive fuel prices.
At a slightly cheaper cost than many of the more traditional sized vehicles and competitive to other Smart cars and half cars on the market, offering fuel efficiency without the heavy price of hybrid vehicles.
So, for those interested in the Aixam half cars and mini vans, what is the difference from a normal car? The speed and power is an obvious difference right off the bat. You cannot expect the same level of performance from an Aixam car as you would a Jaguar, but at the same time, many people these days don’t need anything more complicated than a small car capable of going 60 miles per hour or so. They are capable of driving the distances that modern convenience dictates a car should be able to drive and can do so on much less gasoline. Space is another issue some might consider, with only two seats in the largest of vehicles, but the positives for those that fit with an Aixam far outweigh those few negatives.
In the end, the Aixam brand name is designed for those with a specific need and they meet that need and then some, offering efficiency, moderate cost, and a well made vehicle that has been road tested for more than 25 years. As Europe’s number one half car manufacturer, you know you’re getting a top notch vehicle.
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