Icona, the Turin-based design house have unveiled their  NEO concept at the Festival International Automobile 2016. The vehicle uses a hub-motor arrangement “with a total of 21 kw, giving a top speed of 120 km/hour and a city driving range of 150km, thanks to the optimized lightweight body”. The motor was developed by Icona’s technical partners, ACTUA and Italtecnica, also in Italy.

Following the ICONA lineage, the NEO concept sets out to explore the inspirations and daily challenges of life in a busy metropolis like Shanghai. Like its sister Fuselage, NEO is a 4-seater vehicle whose design is adapted to the reality of an electrically powered package. However, the aim of NEO is not just to provide the balance of style and maximized practicality expected from a modern city car. NEO’s bold styling and asymmetric design theme combine clear lines inspired by the latest architecture trend with sensual dynamic automotive sculpting.

The inspiration for NEO is derived from the latest architectural trends which have reshaped the landscape of Shanghai, the place where the car was designed. Its sharp and contrasted lines combine simple geometry and sensual surface transitions. The architecture of the passenger layout is also different. The car interior has also evolved with a more passenger-orientated layout: instead of solely focusing on the road straight ahead, rear passengers can enjoy a wrap-around ottoman-style rear bench which takes advantage of the absence of a rear left door.