The Shuanghuan Noble (also sold as the Shuanghuan Bubble, the Martin Motors Noble and the Martin Motors Bubble) is a 4-seater Chinese hatchback that was made by Shuanghuan Auto. It was sold in various European and Asian countries and has generated large controversies due to its similar styling to that of the Smart Fortwo. Body The Noble uses a unibody frame based on a shortened Suzuki Alto platform. It carries the same MacPherson strut independent front suspension and a dead axle rear suspension with a Panhard stabilizing rod. The body is constructed using high tensile and ultra high tensile steel, a choice that makes the car somewhat heavy for its size at 875 kg. Seating The Noble has a seating capacity of four passengers. The rear seats provide enough room for two adults with plenty of space for their knees, although the low roof-line restricts headroom significantly. The rear seats can fold down to reveal a flat loading space, which otherwise is negligible. A full size spare wheel is housed under the rear seats. Trim Standard trim includes dual front airbags, ABS braking system with EBD, audio system with radio and USB slot with MP3 playback capability, electric power steering, power windows and air conditioning. Engine and transmission The Noble is a front-wheel-drive car with the engine housed under the front bonnet. The engine itself is a 1.1 liter 16v DOHC version of the Suzuki Wagon-R engine with a power output rated at at 6.000 rpm and of torque at 4500 rpm. With the 5-speed manual transmission the Noble sprints from 0–100 km/h in 17.1s and reaches a top speed of 138 km/h. The engine is reported to be quite frugal using only 4.5 L/100 km. A five speed manual gearbox is offered in both standard and automated versions. Electric version The Noble was being sold as an electric car in some U.S. states, built by Wheego Technologies from body shells shipped to the USA from China. The Wheego Whip as it is named in the U.S. is able to reach speeds up to but will be initially sold as a low-speed vehicle with a maximum speed of until it passes crash tests by the US DoT. Controversies The car has caused numerous controversies, with Mercedes-Benz even filing a lawsuit against Shuanghuan Auto because of the similarities with the Smart Fortwo. Mercedes-Benz also persuaded the Italian court to prohibit Martin