Europe unveils fold-up car

Fold-up what?

The 'Hiriko', the Basque word for 'urban', is an electric two-seater with no doors whose motor is located in the wheels and which folds up like a child's collapsible buggy, or stroller, for easy parking. The 1.5-metre-long car can run 120km without a recharge and its four wheels are able to turn at right angles to facilitate sideways parking in tight spaces.

Dreamt up by Boston's MIT-Media lab, the concept was developed by a consortium of seven small Basque firms under the name Hiriko Driving Mobility.

They envisage it as a city-owned vehicle, up for hire like the fleets of bicycles available in many European cities, or put up for sale privately at around 12,500 euros (S$20,635).

Several cities have shows interest, including Berlin, Barcelona, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Talks are underway with Paris, London, Boston, Dubai and Brussels.



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