Son of G-Wiz electric

The diddy G-Wiz is to going to have a successor.

At least, this time around it should be a real car. The last G-Wiz exploited a loophole in the law that meant it could be sold as a quadricyle (four wheeled motorised bicycle) to gullible motorists who did not realise that they were paying the price of a car for something that did not have to meet any of the safety standards of an actual car. For anyone who assumed the G-Wiz was not too bad, here is the damning evidence.

The makers of the G-Wiz were bought by Indian conglomerate Mahindra, who also own SsangYong, in 2010 and are talking up the prospects of the new car. We don't know about the car, but Mahindra is well up to western standards when it comes to management jargon.

Anand Mahindra, group chairman, said. "We firmly believe that the automobile industry is at an inflection point that will re-shape the way we own and use mobility solutions. This change is being driven by rapidly changing customer needs and dramatic advancements in automotive technologies, including the growing influence of electronics and IT in automobile products and solutions," he said.

However, the new car, code-named NXR, does have some interesting features, including 'Quick2Charge', which gives a 25 km range after a 15 minute charge, 'Sun2Car', a solar charging system and 'Car 2 Home' by which the car can power a house – presumably intended for India's frequent power blackouts.

The new car is expected to launch in India later this year, with European sales following in 2013.