City Transformer
City Transformer is an Israeli electric-vehicle company developing narrowable two-seat urban vehicles that can change width for traffic, parking, and open-road driving.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
City Transformer is an Israeli electric-vehicle company focused on compact urban mobility. Its central engineering concept is a two-seat battery-electric vehicle whose chassis and wheels can move between a wider configuration for open-road travel and a narrower configuration for congested streets or restricted parking spaces. The concept was developed around 2013 by Asaf Formoza, Gidi Goldwine, and Erez Abramov, who worked on a foldable vehicle-chassis design. The company was subsequently founded in 2014 by Formoza and Udi Meridor, with automobile designer Eyal Kremer and Johanne Tomforde joining the project during the company’s early development. The defining feature of the product concept is variable width. In its wider mode, the vehicle is approximately 1.4 metres wide and is intended for more conventional road use, with a cited top speed of up to 90 km/h. In its narrower mode, it contracts to approximately 1 metre, allowing it to pass more easily through dense urban traffic and occupy smaller parking spaces. This approach positions City Transformer between a conventional passenger car, a quadricycle, and a last-mile urban mobility device. The company’s proposition is not simply small size, but an actively adaptable footprint that changes according to driving conditions. City Transformer publicly presented its vehicle concept at the Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv in late 2017. The project later received support from the Israel Innovation Authority in cooperation with the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office national program for fuel alternatives and smart mobility. In 2020, the concept was included in Time’s selection of notable inventions. The company also pursued practical emergency-response applications: in 2021 it signed an agreement to provide vehicles to United Hatzalah responders, for whom the narrow driving mode could assist manoeuvrability in crowded areas. In 2022, City Transformer entered a software partnership with Bosch Software. The company’s announced model range consists of the CT-1 and CT-2. The CT-1 is the more developed vehicle and was introduced in 2021. It is a two-seat electric vehicle powered by two 7.5 kW motors. Its cited dimensions are 2.50 metres long and 1.40 metres wide in expanded mode, narrowing to 1.00 metre; its weight is reported as approximately 450 kg without a battery and 590 kg with a battery. The CT-1 appeared at the IAA Mobility event in Munich in 2021 and at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. The CT-2 was described as a future model with a targeted range of 180 km and equipment including a sunroof, smartphone connectivity, electric windows, air conditioning, and heating. City Transformer’s positioning centres on reducing the spatial inefficiency of conventional cars in cities while retaining greater weather protection, seating capacity, and road capability than many lightweight personal-mobility products. Its development has attracted private and corporate investment, although the company’s public reference material does not establish a current production volume, commercial delivery scale, or confirmed international sales footprint. The brand remains associated primarily with the development and prospective production of variable-width electric urban vehicles.
History
City Transformer’s origins trace to 2013, when Asaf Formoza, Gidi Goldwine, and Erez Abramov developed a foldable vehicle-chassis design. Their work addressed a basic urban-mobility problem: conventional cars require substantial road and parking space even when carrying only one or two people. The proposed solution was a two-seat electric vehicle capable of changing its width while moving. The vehicle could operate at approximately 1.4 metres wide on open roads and contract to approximately 1 metre for dense traffic and narrow parking spaces. The company was established in 2014 by Asaf Formoza and Udi Meridor. Automobile designer Eyal Kremer and Johanne Tomforde joined during the early company period. The project remained in concept and development stages before its public reveal at the Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv in late 2017. The presentation established the company’s core identity: a compact, enclosed electric vehicle whose chassis adapts to the surrounding driving environment rather than maintaining a single fixed footprint. City Transformer subsequently received a grant of NIS 3.15 million from the Israel Innovation Authority, in cooperation with the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office national program for fuel alternatives and smart mobility. The support connected the company’s vehicle-development work with Israeli public-sector priorities around alternative propulsion and intelligent transportation. In 2020, the concept was selected for inclusion in Time’s list of notable inventions. The company began moving from a general concept toward named vehicle models with the CT-1. Introduced in 2021, the CT-1 is a two-seat electric vehicle using two 7.5 kW electric motors. Published specifications describe a length of 2.50 metres, a width of 1.40 metres when expanded, and a width of 1.00 metre when contracted. Its reported mass is approximately 450 kg without a battery and 590 kg with a battery. The CT-1 made its debut at IAA Mobility in Munich in 2021 and was later shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2022. City Transformer also explored operational uses beyond ordinary private commuting. In 2021, it signed an agreement to provide vehicles to United Hatzalah emergency responders. The narrow mode was relevant to emergency movement through crowded streets and constrained spaces. In 2022, the company announced a partnership with Bosch Software, indicating an effort to develop the digital and software elements associated with its vehicles. The second announced model, CT-2, was presented as a future vehicle. Its stated target specifications included a range of 180 km, along with a sunroof, smartphone connectivity, electric windows, air conditioning, and heating. Public descriptions identify CT-1 as the model ready for production and CT-2 as the future model, but the available reference material does not establish confirmed mass-production dates, delivery volumes, or a broad international sales network. The project has also received design recognition. In 2023, its passenger-vehicle design was awarded a gold medal by the German Design Council. City Transformer’s historical development therefore combines Israeli electric-vehicle entrepreneurship, a variable-width mechanical architecture, public innovation support, exhibition-led product development, and attempts to apply the vehicle to both consumer and emergency-response use cases. Its long-term commercial position depends on converting the distinctive engineering concept into certified, reliable, and economically viable production vehicles.
- 2023
German Design Council gold medal
[1]The vehicle received a gold medal in passenger-vehicle design from the German Design Council.
- 2022
Bosch Software partnership
[1]City Transformer entered a partnership with Bosch Software.
- 2022
CT-1 shown at Paris Motor Show
[1]The CT-1 participated in the 2022 Paris Motor Show.
- 2021
CT-1 introduced
[1]The CT-1 two-seat electric vehicle was introduced and subsequently shown at IAA Mobility in Munich.
- 2021
United Hatzalah agreement
[1]The company signed an agreement to provide narrowable vehicles for United Hatzalah emergency responders.
- 2020
Included in Time inventions selection
[1]City Transformer’s concept was featured in Time’s selection of notable inventions for 2020.
- 2017
Vehicle concept publicly revealed
[1]The company presented its variable-width electric vehicle concept at the Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv.
- 2014
Company founded
[1]City Transformer was founded by Asaf Formoza and Udi Meridor; Eyal Kremer and Johanne Tomforde joined the early project.
- 2013
Foldable chassis concept developed
[1]Asaf Formoza, Gidi Goldwine, and Erez Abramov developed the foldable chassis idea that became the basis for a variable-width two-seat electric vehicle.
Products and positioning
Compact electric urban mobility with an adaptable vehicle width for congested roads and space-constrained parking.
Electric urban microcar · 2021
CT-1
The CT-1 is a two-seat foldable electric vehicle designed around City Transformer’s variable-width chassis. It is reported to measure 2.50 metres in length and 1.40 metres in expanded mode, contracting to 1.00 metre in narrow mode. The vehicle uses two 7.5 kW electric motors and weighs approximately 450 kg without a battery or 590 kg with one. It was introduced in 2021 and exhibited at IAA Mobility and the Paris Motor Show.
Future electric urban vehicle
CT-2
The CT-2 is the company’s announced future model. Public descriptions identify a targeted driving range of 180 km and planned equipment including a sunroof, smartphone connectivity, electric windows, air conditioning, and heating. The available reference material does not confirm final production specifications, commercial launch timing, pricing, or delivery volumes.
Brand decisions
2022
Partner with Bosch SoftwareStrategyBackground
The company’s adaptable vehicle concept requires software and electronic systems alongside its mechanical architecture.
Action taken
City Transformer entered a partnership with Bosch Software.
Aftermath
The available reference material does not specify the partnership’s precise technical scope or commercial results.
2021
Introduce the CT-1Product launchBackground
After years of concept development and public demonstrations, City Transformer moved toward a defined product with the CT-1.
Action taken
The company introduced a two-seat electric vehicle with a chassis that can change between approximately 1.4 metres and 1 metre in width.
Aftermath
The CT-1 appeared at IAA Mobility in Munich in 2021 and at the Paris Motor Show in 2022.
2021
Pursue emergency-response deploymentStrategyBackground
Emergency responders often operate in dense urban environments where vehicle width can restrict movement.
Action taken
City Transformer signed an agreement to provide vehicles to United Hatzalah responders.
Aftermath
The agreement demonstrated a potential operational use for the vehicle’s narrow mode, although public material does not establish the scale of deployment.
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