Melissa Mahan, president of Tour Coupes, shows one of the company’s three-wheel vehicles.

One of the newest Downtown businesses is relying heavily on tourists and a fleet of 12 cute three-wheeled vehicles that look like they came out of a Looney Tunes cartoon.

The topless, brightly colored vehicles were put into service last month by San Diego natives Anthony May and Melissa Mahan, who launched Tour Coupes at 502 Seventh Ave. They rent the little “coupes,” as they call them, to tourists and others for sightseeing excursions Downtown and to such places as Balboa Park, Old Town and the Presidio, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery and Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma.

The gas-powered coupes have a top speed of 30 mph. There’s plenty of space for two adult occupants — the driver and a passenger — sitting side by side. And though the vehicles are easily maneuverable, the ride can get a little bumpy when traveling over trolley tracks or unimproved streets.

But the main feature is a GPS navigation system that has been configured to deliver pre-recorded narration, music and sound effects whenever the vehicle approaches a pre-set destination. When a coupe travels into the Gaslamp Quarter, for example, the audio system mounted just above the passengers’ legs will produce a pre-recorded voice describing the area and its history (in Spanish as well as English). Mahan says more than 50 locations frequented by tourists have been programmed into the system.

The navigation system was developed by Jim Carrier, founder of IntelliTours, a company based in Montgomery, Ala. Carrier says May, 31, and Mahan, 33, were adamant about including some of San Diego’s history as part of the system.

Tour Coupes allows customers to be their own guides without being confined in a van or bus. “Our families have never been a big fan of guided tours,” says Mahan, president of the company. “I think half the fun of seeing a city is exploring it on your own. Tours do offer a real value of giving inside information that you can’t often find in a book. But we thought, wouldn’t it be great to be able to tour in something on your own while getting a guided tour.”

Only licensed drivers 18 and older can rent a coupe, which Mahan says have been approved by the DMV for use on city streets. Rental fees are $45 an hour. An all-day rate (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) is $165. The company has a dozen coupes available but is expecting a half-dozen more.

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Levitz, Zacks & Ciceric Inc., an accounting firm, has signed a lease renewal with Trizec Properties Inc. for 12,693 square feet of office space at 701 B St., a 24-story Class A office building. The accounting firm has been a tenant at the property since 1997 and is moving to a higher floor as part of its desire to implement a more efficient office plan. Craig Irving, president of Irving Hughes, represented Levitz, Zacks & Ciceric. John Barganski, v.p. of leasing for Trizec, represented building ownership. Trizec’s 1.33 million-square-foot San Diego portfolio includes two Downtown buildings, 701 B Street and 707 Broadway, as well as Sorrento Towers in Sorrento Mesa.

“We enjoy the convenient access to the I-5 and 163 freeways,” says Theresa Drouillard, president and shareholder of Levitz, Zacks & Ciceric.

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Berkman Communications has changed its name to Berkman and will move this month to larger offices at 1230 Columbia St. from 401 West A St., Suite 1675. Jack Berkman is president and CEO of the public relations and advertising company. Berkman says the expanded services will include strategic public relations planning, key message development, brand management, market research, reputation management, video production, Web development, media training and crisis communications. The new office has 3,500 square feet. Berkman employs 15 staffers and expects to add new staff.

The Downtown Relocations column features news on firms that are abandoning, embracing or expanding in the 92101 ZIP code. Send submissions to Manny Cruz, manny@sandiegometro.com.