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A cloth car? Sounds like an old ridiculous idea that got thrown away back in the 1800s. But the cloth car is one of the newest technologically advanced ideas for the car.
The GINA Light Visionary Model Car is a two-seat roadster with a body made from cloth, developed by BMW. The fabric is a special polyurethane-coated Lycra that is exceptionally strong, durable and waterproof.
Yet, it is also flexible enough to stretch when fitted over the cloth car’s aluminum frame, whose shape can be altered using electric and electro-hydraulic controls to suit different driving conditions. This provides better suitability with relation to the weather and therefore produces a safer car that is less prone to be involved in an auto accident.
Our firm’s car accident lawyers were genuinely surprised by the idea of a cloth car and grateful for the extra protection against a wrongful death accident on the road. However, what kind of design defects are associated with this new car and could those cause just as much, if not more, pain and suffering?
The GINA, a concept car, was unveiled at the BMW Museum in Munich in June 2008. Its fabric shell is made in four pieces and not only creases when the doors open, but can also be ”unsealed” to reveal the car’s engine. The front lights lie flat beneath the fabric when switched off and shine through eye-shaped slits that open as soon as they have been turned on. If the engine needs extra air, the grille at the front widens for increased air-contact surface area.
Amazingly, not only is the exterior flexible, but the interior is as well. When the engine is switched off, the steering wheel and dashboard instruments, including the speedometer and fuel gauge, lie flat to create more space. And once the driver sits down, the instruments move out toward him, and the headrest above the driver’s seat pops up.
The result is a versatile car that promises to be less expensive and more energy-efficient to manufacture than a conventional design. Concept cars play important roles in the automotive industry, giving more practical designers an abundance of experimental concepts and technologies from which to pick and choose when building actual cars that will be marketed.
The BMW design team has already applied some of these ideas developed for the GINA to standard cars (e.g. one of the GINA’s production processes was used to make the hoods of the Z4 M Roadster and Z4 M Coupe). Our car accident lawyers are pleased to hear that a safer, cheaper conceptual car may come along in the near future. But according to BMW, we probably should not expect to see cloth-covered Beemers on the road anytime soon and until we do, protect yourself with the best car insurance policy that you can find.
If you were injured and believe that you deserve compensation, then call our bilingual law offices right away at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you. We look forward to providing good advice for your case. There is no fee if no recovery.
SENIOR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY & FIRM FOUNDER
Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1987. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes how insurance companies work and how they decide how much to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael’s inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents. Learn more about Michael Pines