Spanish startup Liux bets on sustainability for its tiny EV to rival Chinese microcars
Spanish startup Liux plans to start selling its electric microcar, the Liux Big, next year, built with a recyclable linen-based biocomposite body. The company hopes sustainability will help it stand out as cheap Chinese EVs dominate Europe's shrinking-car trend.
European city streets are increasingly filled with tiny cars, but a segment once led by Italian manufacturers is now largely dominated by small Chinese EVs — even the iconic Smart brand has shifted production to China. Spanish startup Liux hopes to carve out its own space with an upcoming electric microcar called the Liux Big, whose name is a wink at how compact it actually is.
Co-founder Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros argues that a fully European, sovereign supply chain simply isn't achievable today, so Liux has chosen to prioritize sustainability over strict local sourcing. While the company did open Spain's first new car plant in more than three decades, its batteries aren't manufactured in Europe — though they can be recharged at home, including with solar power.
A recyclable, linen-based body
One of the car's standout features is its body, made from a novel linen-based biocomposite designed to be extracted and recycled later. Espinosa says true recyclability has to be built into a product from the start, not treated as something achievable only in a lab.
Liux has already secured Europe-wide homologation for the Liux Big and expects sales to begin in the first half of next year. The company has grown to 65 employees and is ramping up production across three facilities in Spain, including a plant in Azuqueca de Henares near Madrid. Liux says production capacity could reach 20,000 vehicles a year by 2030.
More than 7,500 people have joined the waiting list so far, with the typical prospective buyer being a 55- to 60-year-old city dweller likely to use the car as a household's second vehicle. Pricing is expected to stay below €18,000 before any EV subsidies, positioning it at the pricier end of the microcar segment. Liux says it has focused heavily on safety and driving feel, fitting in a 260-liter trunk and demonstrating slalom and braking maneuvers, even though crash tests aren't mandatory for this vehicle category.
The startup has raised €16 million so far and plans to bring the Liux Big to market through partnerships with car dealerships across Europe.
