07 Mar 08
Rinspeed showed off its latest wacky concept, the sQuba, which the company claims is a car that can be used underwater.
The sQuba recalls the famous submarine Lotus Esprit in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. 'Exactly 30 years later, this amazing - yet at the time animated - film sequence materialises and becomes reality, in today's world,' says Rinspeed's Frank M Rinderknecht.
Rinspeed is claiming the sQuba is 'the world's first real diving car'. It can operate autonomously (without a driver), dive up to 10 metres (33 feet) deep and drive on roads, adapting at the touch of a button to suit its environment. And it's even eco-friendly - on land, it is powered by an electric motor driving the rear axle, and in the water, by two propellers at the stern and a pair of jet-drives in its bow. 'Zero emissions, zero pollution,' says Rinderknecht.
Much of the sQuba's body is made (theoretically, at least) of carbon to save weight and the fully-waterproof body incorporates a fresh-air ventilation system for the occupants. It will, however, 'remain most likely a unique and exclusive one-off vehicle,' admits Rinspeed.
