Liux Big 2026: Spanish Startup Takes on EVs
Spanish startup Liux secures European homologation for the Liux Big microcar, featuring a linen biocomposite body and a sub-€18,000 price tag.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Spanish startup Liux plans to launch its Liux Big microcar in the first half of 2027
- The vehicle features a body made from a novel linen-based biocomposite designed for recycling
- Over 7,500 people have joined the waiting list, primarily urban dwellers aged 55 to 60
- Production capacity could reach 20,000 units annually by 2030 with prices under €18,000
Urban mobility across European cities is shifting as compact cars evolve, with traditional microcars increasingly giving way to Chinese electric vehicles. Even iconic compact car brand Smart has relocated its manufacturing to China. Amidst this crowded and competitive market, Spanish startup Liux aims to carve out a niche with an ultra-compact electric car built around environmental sustainability.
Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros, co-founder and CEO of Liux, shared with TechCrunch that the concept of a purely European car no longer exists. Although Liux recently opened Spain's first new car plant in over 30 years, he and co-founder David Sancho concluded that achieving a fully sovereign supply chain is unattainable, prompting them to center their operations entirely around circularity.
Engineered to resist the rapid obsolescence of modern vehicles, the Liux Big features home-rechargeable batteries compatible with solar power generation. Its standout feature is a body constructed from a novel linen-based biocomposite, engineered specifically so the material can be extracted and fully recycled at the end of its lifecycle rather than just in a laboratory setting.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"One thing that's very clear for David and me is that recycling isn't just a lab concept. You can recycle almost anything in a lab. What makes something recyclable has to do with how it's built."
Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros
Having secured Europe-wide homologation, Liux expects to begin commercial sales of the Liux Big in the first half of next year. The company has expanded to 65 employees and is scaling up production across three facilities in Spain, including the plant in Azuqueca de Henares, located about an hour's drive from central Madrid. The facility applies Toyota lean management principles, focusing strictly on the final assembly stages.
Liux's utilization of a linen-based biocomposite represents a compelling engineering approach within the microcar segment. As automotive regulations tighten carbon emission standards across a vehicle's entire lifecycle, replacing traditional plastics and carbon fiber with plant-derived materials helps minimize weight while addressing long-term automotive waste. However, scaling such novel materials while maintaining strict safety and affordability standards remains a primary industry hurdle.
More than 7,500 prospective buyers have joined the free waiting list, revealing that the typical profile is a 55- to 60-year-old city dweller who will likely use the vehicle as a secondary household car. Liux plans to price the microcar below €18,000 (roughly $21,000) before EV subsidies. Furthermore, the engineering team managed to integrate a 260-liter trunk and rigorous crash-maneuver testing to ensure drivers experience the feel and safety of a traditional car.
Source: TechCrunch
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