Higgins Aube Energya news - Three wheels good - 2008

Downsizing, we’re told, is the only option in today’s tense economic climate. A bungalow instead of a mansion, Tesco Value instead of Waitrose Posh Stuff, chihuahua instead of Great Dane.

And, by extension, three-wheeled ‘motomobile’ instead of full-sized family car?

This is the Energya, a three-wheeler from Canadian company Higgins-Aube. They call it a mobomobile – half motorcycle, half automobile. We call it a Reliant Robin… for the future.

The Energya is, at this stage, only a concept, but Higgins-Aube (really, that name needs a bit of rethink) says that it could reach production within 18 months. They’re aiming for a 0-62mph time of around four seconds, which would require a power output of around 200bhp. Golf GTi engine, perhaps?

The Energya has a projected kerbweight of just 350kg, which means it should be able to corner with lateral acceleration in excess of 1.0g. We’re not exactly sure what 1.0g of lateral acceleration looks like, but we’re guessing you’ll need a neck like Fernando Alonso to cope with it.

Higgins-Aube also has plans to produce an electric version of the Energya, with similar performance but far lower running costs. That’s the sort of downsizing we like…

But we'd still much rather have this Citroen, or even this Saab.