Rinspeed, a Swiss auto maker and tuning firm, announced their latest creation to be revealed in Geneva Motorshow next year. They are very well-known for their absolutely crazy cars, and iChange is no different. This car actually changes its shape depending on the number of passengers it carries!
It can do it through a “electronic trick-tail” , whatever that is. iChange is ought to be a true sports car but because of this creative electric-something idea, it can be turned into a compact sportsvan! The car run on electricity coming from a electric motor that outputs 130 kW. Rinspeed is expert at using high tech light weight materials, so this car will also be fit enough to satisfy performance demands even with this narrow power output.
Rinspeed Press Release:
World premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show (March 5th through March 15th 2009): with the “iChange” the Swiss designers of Rinspeed present a “1-2-3-seater” powered by a 130kw-electric motor. The concept car’s striking body structure adapts via “electronic trick-tail” to the number of passengers: while the sporty and streamlined teardrop shape seats only the driver, two more passengers may join him once the car’s rear end has risen as if by magic. In the blink of an eye the full-blooded sports car turns into a compact sportsvan.
With the Rinspeed “iChange“ the automotive jack-of-all-trades Frank M. Rinderknecht and his partners aim to provide thought-provoking impulses for the automobile industry: “Thinking about variability and the constantly changing energy demand, we have created an extremely flexible vehicle.” The result is a zero-emission car featuring both extremely low weight and aerodynamic drag, thus further reducing the power consumption.
For Mr. Rinderknecht the car’s name “iChange” means more than a flowery phrase: “If we want to preserve our individual mobility in the future, we have to re-think our conception of cars – above all we need to accommodate the ecological aspects.” The best possible answer the big automakers could find for the “iChange” would be a strong “Yes, we can!”