RinSpeed 'microMax' Is The Commuter Car Of The Future at Geneva Motor Show (SLIDESHOW)

Mar 06, 2013 04:04 PM EST | Staff Reporter

One of the funkiest concept cars to come out of the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show is a seven-foot-tall passenger vehicle with no seats that takes up no more of a parking space than a Mini Cooper.

The microMAX is a concept from Swiss company RinSpeed meant to address the modern issues of the urban commute. The car's compact dimensions are designed to beat traffic congestion and solve parking problems with a the help the mobile network.

In a statement on the RinSpeed website, RinSpeed president Frank M. Rinderknecht, who is credited with creating the microMAX, said, "Modern ride share centers nowadays are web-based or Smartphone-based. 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."

The car's interior resemble something more like an internet cafe than a vehicle. In lieu of traditional seats, passengers strap in while standing and and make use of free Wi-Fi and tablet computers mounted into the vehicle. A driver and three passengers can fit comfortably in the microMAX with enough room for a stroller or some luggage in the passenger bay as well. The interior is outfitted with a coffee maker and a refrigerator for "happy hour drinks" the website stated.

"We have developed an intelligent and eco-friendly mobility concept complete with its own vehicle that combines the benefits of personal transportation with those of taxis, car-sharing services and carpool concepts as well as those offered by public transit," Rinderknecht said. "It uses the powerful UMTS and LTE data networks in urban centers and operates in real time."

An app designed for the microMax community will allow "all road users who are looking for a transport option and are part of the selected community access to the new mobility concept," the website stated.

However, since the car is only a concept and the one displayed at Geneva is the only one in existence, the public debut of this fun new mode of urban transit is still a thing of the future.  

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