my next car (if I can ever afford another one)

If my wonderful fire engine-red Volvo 480 ever breaks down, this should be a worthy replacement:



It is using pathfinder technology, i.e. a tethered unmanned vehicle connected to the main two-seater unit with an umbilical cord, all kinds of next-generation navigation, ground-penetrating radar, a reliable heating&air conditioning system, and is probably easy to park, given its compact dimensions. According to the designer, it should fit into the cargo hold of a Twin Otter so bringing it along for your holidays will not be a problem either. No more cheap underpowererd rentals...

And check this out, it has superb traction thanks to double driving belts, and super-maneuvreable steering with a rotating driving undercarriage, while the wheels remain fixed. Here is another shot:



It might be a bt tricky to back into parking slots, though, given the dimensions of the driving belt (think: belts eating their way into a Mercedes front spoiler...;-) and where do you park the umbilical R2D2?

But you guessed correctly, this is not exactly designed for city traffic (although it would look awesome!) but is the new concept car recently unveiled at the Royal College of Art’s final year show. It is supposed to be used by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) some time in the future to perform so-called "ground based deep field surveys". Definitely a good idea, but probably not half as much fun as a good old snocat!