EN-V Concept Car - The Space-Age Car

 

The space-age car which swerves away from danger by 'talking' to other vehicles

OK, it's not quite as foldable as the space vehicle that cartoon figure George Jetson pops into his briefcase as he heads into the office.

But the EN-V concept car, GM's 'automobile solution' for the future, just might fit into an apartment foyer.

The space age electric car has been designed to avoid accidents by automatically swerving around other cars by communicating with them.

General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC showcased the 'Electric Networked-Vehicle' yesterday in their joint pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which opens May 1 and runs for six months.

Baby, you can drive my car: The EN-Vcar, pronounced 'envy', is show-cased in Shanghai

Five of the EN-Vs fit in the parking space needed for one conventional vehicle, claim GM

The EN-V, pronounced 'envy' is GM's latest effort to burnish its credentials as a future-focused, environmentally friendly company and shed its image as the bastion of the gas guzzling Hummer.

The automaker is in the process of winding down Hummer after a deal collapsed to sell it to a Chinese heavy equipment maker.

The Detroit car manufacturer is hoping the helmet-shaped vehicle will help establish it as a significant player in fuel-efficient vehicles after emerging from bankruptcy last July.

GM is not alone in viewing China as the ultimate landscape for tiny urban vehicles. Daimler introduced its Smart ultracompact here in 2008, though few of them can be seen yet on Shanghai streets.

The concept behind the car has already been seen in Hollywood blockbuster films including Minority Report and I-Robot, starring Will Smith.

The two-wheel, two-seater EN-V, which looks something like an oversized vacuum cleaner, is not just about making vehicles small, lightweight and emission-free, the company says.

Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China Group, speaks at the launch ceremony with three versions of the car behind him

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And he's off: The EN-V is taken for a spin at the unveiling

'What we're talking about here is completely redoing the automobile,' says Michael Albano, GM director of product and technology communications.

With the trunk-less EN-V, GM has jettisoned the traditional 'three box' system and petrol-fuelled engine in place of a pure-electric minivehicle meant strictly for city driving.

Other major car manufacturers, including Toyota and Nissan, have produced similar zero-emission mobility concepts as they look to meet higher fuel economy standards and increased consumer demand for greener models.

Five fit in the parking space needed for one conventional vehicle, says Kevin Wale, president and managing director for GM China Group.

'GM's vision with SAIC is petroleum-free, emission-free, accident-free and congestion-free,' said Mr Wale.

'We think we can do that by combining the benefits of electricity and connectivity.'

What better a place to suggest such a solution than in smoggy, accident-plagued, traffic congested China, home to 1.3 billion people?