You didn’t think that Swiss design house Rinspeed would miss the 2013 Geneva auto show, did you? Of course not. For next year’s event, which sounds further away than it really is, as it will open to the public in less than three months on March 7, Rinspeed will debut a new concept vehicle named the “microMAX”.
The Swiss company claims that the boxy concept “sets out to revolutionize short-distance transport” and “intends to merge personal and public transportation in particularly clever fashion”.
Naturally, the concept is battery powered, but Rinspeed did not disclose any specific details. What it did tell us is that the microMAX measures 3.6 meters in length (141 inches) and 2.2 meters (86.6 inches) in height offering space for a driver up front, plus three adults and a child at the back.
However, as you can see for yourself in the sketches, besides the driver and the child, the other three passengers sit in an almost upright position due to the lack of space.
Rinspeed said a coffee maker, a refrigerator for “the passengers’ happy-hour drinks” and internet connectivity are included in the package.
“Modern ride share centers nowadays are web-based or Smartphone-based,” said Frank M. Rinderknecht, head of Rinspeed. “They operate in real time: You need to go to work on a regular basis or want to go somewhere right now and in no time at all you find the driver that’ll give you a ride. “microMAX” with its unique upright seats is the perfect ‘thing’ for swift short-distance transfers – the car to go with the app.”
Story References: Rinspeed via Autoblog.com
PHOTO GALLERY
