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Micro \u2014 maker of those electric bubble cars<\/a> found in some European cities \u2014 has a new Microlino especially for Americans. The all-electric Microlino Spider is dubbed the \u201canti-pickup truck\u201d and is meant to be a golf cart replacement. No, not for use on fairways, but at expansive resorts and so-called golf cart communities<\/a> where well-heeled urbanites can retire in the relative safety of walkable villages with low-speed roads.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAmericans don\u2019t just drive large cars. In fact, the US is the world\u2019s biggest market for golf carts, where they\u2019re often used for personal transport within neighborhoods,\u201d says Wim Ouboter, founder and chair of Switzerland-based Micro. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly why we created the Microlino Spider.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cConsider it the antithesis to massive electric pickup trucks \u2014 not built for the 5 percent of trips where you need to haul a lot,\u201d says Ouboter, \u201cbut for the 95 percent of trips where you are alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Microlino Spider features an open-door and roof design to make it easy to jump in and out from the sides. That\u2019s a marked departure from the\u00a0highway-legal Microlino Dolce I reviewed<\/a> last year, or the slower\u00a0Lite version<\/a>\u00a0that only requires a moped license \u2014 both of which you enter through the vehicle\u2019s hinged face to the delight of onlookers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For the moment, Micro is calling the Microlino Spider a \u201cconcept,\u201d but says it\u2019s intent on bringing the micro car to the US \u201cas a more stylish and safer alternative to golf carts, ideal for personal errands or commuting.\u201d It\u2019s now gauging interest from partners such as \u201cdealer groups, leasing companies, and other entrepreneurs interested in bringing this new vehicle category to the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Unfortunately for Micro, Americans are increasingly drawn to larger and more dangerous vehicles. Just about every truck and SUV sold today is bigger than they were 20 years ago. And those behemoths make up about 80 percent of vehicles sold in the US. Experts have warned that the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the risk<\/a> to pedestrians and cyclists of injury or death. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n