Rinspeed iChange Concept

Motoring Channel Staff - 18/February/2009

Geneva, Switzerland – The year is 2009 and car design has come a long way since the 1990s.

Or has it?

Switzerland's famous car innovation group, Rinspeed, will unveil the iChange at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show which has been labelled a 'thoroughbred, futuristic sports car'.

From where we sit, Rinspeed will be exhibiting one of the worst car designs of the year.

But forget the design for a moment and the concept could have legs.

The new vehicle is powered by a 150kW electric motor whose "show-stopping" feature is that it extends its bodywork.

What begins as a journey in a 1-seater vehicle can end being a trip in a 3-seater vehicle. 

This feature is not new however. Rinspeed created the Presto concept in 2002 which would elongate from to increase its 2-seater capacity to 4-seats.

It's a lightweight design, tipping the scales at 1,050kg and is very rapid, able to reach 100km/h from standstill just over 4.0 seconds claims Rinspeed boss Frank Rinderknecht.

But despite it's speed, able to surpass 200km/h, the car's electric drivetrain is the most important aspect, says Rinderknecht.

"The iChange 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," says Rinderknecht.

Rinderknecht is convinced that the days of gas guzzling behemoths are coming to an end: "The iChange is a signal for the coming global changes to individual mobility. We need to be ready to meet these challenges with new ideas."

The Rinspeed boss's comments mirror those of most major car manufacturers and a lot of people wouldn't argue with that - but did the design of this next generation electric car really have to be so offensive?

This Swiss concept car has no doors, instead the entire electrically powered roof section of the car tilts forward to allow passengers to board. 

Also gone are such mundane things as a key. Its role is filled by an Apple iPhone that also controls the most important vehicle functions. 

Rinspeed's iChange also features a 'groundbreaking next-generation Harman/Kardon infotainment system' that makes use of 'innovative Intel processor technology that guarantees minimized power consumption'.

Showing off a strange teardrop-shaped body complete with shrouded rear wheels, the concept car sits on 17-inch front alloy wheels and 18-inch rear alloy wheels supplied wheel-maker AEZ. 

The rear-wheel drive vehicle is fitted with high performance Pirelli P Zero tyres (215/40 fronts, 245/40 rears) and has excellent aerodynamics.

The final word must go to Rinspeed chief Frank Rinderknecht: "If we want to maintain our individual mobility in the future we have to rethink the car in its entirety, without taboos. 

"Everyone has to personally answer the same question: Am I ready and willing to change myself? Can 'I change'?"

Some people will be hoping the answer is a resounding 'no'.

Related Links:
- Rinspeed zaZen (2006)
- Rinspeed Porsche Carrera 911 (2005)
- Rinspeed Senso (2008)
- Rinspeed Chopster (2005)