Obvio has announced that its colorful microcars, the 828 and 012, are headed to the U.S. The gas-ethanol powered vehicles will be distributed by Zap, which has purchased 50,000 microcars from Obvio. Electric powered versions are planned as well.

OBVIO said that gas-ethanol engines would power the initial versions of its 828 and 012 microcar designs, planned for production in 2007. But the 828E and 012E equipped with advanced electric drive systems will not be far behind, says OBVIO ! President Ricardo Machado, who announced he would export the electric cars to North America.

“It is clear to me that electricity has a big future in the auto industry,” said Machado. “OBVIO !’s business model of 100 percent outsourced supplier relationships allows for the speed and flexibility to incorporate a new drive system powered by electricity by our second model year.”

Machado says there are several suppliers that are negotiating to provide electric drive systems for the 828E and 012E. Targeting a price of $49,000 and $59,000 respectively, the cars will have plenty of power, capable of reaching a top speed exceeding 120 mph for a range of up to 200-240 miles per charge.

The Obvio website has the 828 specs and the 012 specs as well as photographs for each vehicle. The inside of the 828 looks very, very orange but the electric cars should still be popular in green-friendly California. The 012 is a much sportier and sleeker looking vehicle.