Karmann-designed E3 "sports limousine" coming to Hanover 2009

It seems as though Karmann won't let a little thing like bankruptcy get in the way of its plans to move forward with new electro-car work. As part of a venture undertaken with German energy and communications company the Oldenburg Energy Group (EWE), the iconic maker of Ghias, Crossfires and cabriolets has penned a new design that will be unveiled at the Hannover Messe 2009 (Hanover Trade Fair) next week. Called the E3, the vehicle will sport an EWE nameplate and is being described as a "sports-limousine." When the curtain is pulled back, we are expecting to see the smallest limo one might imagine as EWE says the concept study is built on a scale of 1:2. That's half-size for those of us with math allergies.Although EWE doesn't see itself as an electric car maker in the near term, it is very interested in exploring the possibilities of using thousands of batteries on wheels to store renewable but intermittent wind and solar energy. The E3 is the first of 4 to 6 vehicles planned that will help them learn how their communication and networking tech can be integrated into automobiles to achieve that storage goal. This little electric limo isn't the only battery-powered car in Karmann's future. If it manages to keep the doors open, it is scheduled to build the Quicc! DiVa for Duracar this summer. Hit the jump for a press release about the partnership between the two companies.