Umberto Palermo Design, led by Umberto Palermo, has signed an important collaboration for Malya, a new concept vehicle focusing on urban mobility. Federmetano and Reinova are also involved in the project.
The project, developed under the name “Mole Urbana Malya”, aims to offer a new alternative to urban and suburban mobility with its compact dimensions and sustainable production approach.
The vehicle, which will be less than 4 meters long, is still designed to offer a capacity of 5 people. It is aimed to reduce production costs and the need for complex molds by using a lightweight steel tube chassis and aluminum components.
One of the most striking aspects of Malya is its energy architecture. The model, which is planned to be built on a completely electric platform, may also have an optional “range extender” system. In this system, a small internal combustion engine running on biomethane or natural gas will increase the range by charging the battery.
The project team states that this approach offers a sustainable solution thanks to the extensive natural gas infrastructure in Europe and 100% renewable biomethane production capacity. It will also be possible to fill gas from home or public stations.
Reinova will play a critical role in both hardware and software development processes for the project’s powertrain system. The company will be at the center of Malya’s “range extender” technology.
Federmetano, one of the project partners, emphasizes that Europe’s most advanced natural gas distribution network offers a significant advantage for this concept.
Malya, which was first introduced at the concept stage at the Mole Urbana event in Orbassano in 2025, is positioned as the city car of the future with its Italy-based “micro production and flexible factory model” approach.
Automobile Magazine – English News
Source link 2026-05-27 20:51:00
