Spanish Startup Liux Secures EU Approval for Sustainable Microcar
Liux, a Spanish EV startup, has won Europe-wide approval for its Liux Big microcar, priced below €18,000, and will start sales in 2027, according to TechCrunch.
The company has already attracted more than 7,500 people to its no-fee waiting list, with the most common prospective buyer being a 55- to 60-year-old city dweller. Liux says the car will often serve as a household’s second vehicle. Production capacity at its three facilities in Spain could reach 20,000 cars a year by 2030, including a small plant in Azuqueca de Henares that follows Toyota-style lean management, said Beatriz Belda González, head of production.
European microcars have largely given way to small Chinese EVs, and even Smart has moved manufacturing to China. Liux co-founder Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros told TechCrunch that “the idea of a European car does not exist,” adding that a fully sovereign supply chain is unattainable. Instead, the company prioritizes circularity: its batteries are rechargeable at home with solar power, and the car’s body is made from a linen-based biocomposite designed for easy recycling.
Espinosa previously co-founded Spanish water brand Auara, while co-founder David Sancho engineered a hybrid supercar unveiled at Le Mans in 2017. Their first prototype, the Animal, was a fully electric five-seater made from recycled and plant-based materials, but they pivoted to a smaller car to improve homologation odds. The company now has 65 employees.