Rinspeed iChange Concept

Rinspeed iChange Concept

The Swiss auto powerhouse Rinspeed presents the Rinspeed iChange Concept, the world's first car whose body adapts to the number of passengers on board. For Rinspeed boss Rinderknecht the vehicle is more than just a clever concept car. "The Rinspeed iChange Concept is a symbol for the fundamental changes the auto industry undergoes worldwide. And it is clear that only those companies will survive that have innovative answers for the demands of a new automotive era." The visionary Rinderknecht is convinced that the days of gas-guzzling behemoths are coming to an end: "The Rinspeed iChange Concept is a signal for the coming global changes to individual mobility. We need to be ready to meet these challenges with new ideas."

With the Rinspeed iChange Concept, world premiere at the 2009 Geneva International Motor Show, 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 Concept 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 Rinspeed iChange Concept woud be a strong "Yes, we can!"