How Do You Think Of A Modular Car?

[Guest autodesigner]

Hello. I'm a postgraduate student on the MA Automotive Design course at the Coventry University in UK. My name is Zhihong Shen. I'm doing my final project - designing a modular car for life, a car that has different bits that can be changed when wanted. In order to define the area of interest from customers, I set up an online survey with the link below and you are most welcome to show your idea:

 

 

Link to Online Survey

 

 

 

If you're interested in my design progress, please contact me on shenz@coventry.ac.uk.

 

Thanks a lot!

[admin 22]

Hoping to see your progress and results here. Good luck with the project!

[Guest tom_j_owen]

not trying to nail your idea, but im sure ive seen this idea before. to be honest i dont remember who did it but it was on the uk show 'top gear' last year.

 

good luck

[Cyberdemon 17]

You might be thinking of the GM Skateboard concept? There have been quite a few modular car designs, both professionally and from students.

[Guest R.B]

Tap into the deep depth of hell in google for the Audi site, Brunel student did a project for them in '02 that was modular, and another did inflatable parts.

[Guest _DS_]

I think is a good idea, some similar ideas have been shown on Future cars from Discovery. But they just used the skateboard (a Hydrogen powered platform) and added a full car frame. I guess it´d be avaliable just to rich ppl, your design instead shows minor modifications that can result in a lower price alternative.

 

Maybe it can be developed like car mods for massive production cars, so ppl can get their own modifications in a certified way....

 

Good luck...

[Guest jose3]

It was the The Skateboard car DS. Amazing.

 

link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKI8hEPDjh8&NR=1

 

PS: Dunno why I cannot insert this link without the h1 tag. Maybe its a bug.

 

Kind regards.

 

 

 

 

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[Guest iliffe]

If it works then thats the end to the worry of the ever increasing problem of fuel shortage for motor cars.

 

Seems to me that theres alot of technologies to go wrong with the 'skateboard'.

 

also i know you can have interchangable bodies but surely its going to reduce the safety of the car?.

 

Its a great idea and good look for what the future holds.

 

Also, a chance to design your own car?. hopefully not as most of us hopefull car designers will be out of a job!.

 

Lew.

[Guest nicanor]

Even if it's not the 1st modular car, who cares. The design is still neat.

 

The most popular modular car IMO was the VW Beetle, you can put a Karmann Ghia body or Thing body, or various other coachbuilt or kit car bodies on it instead of a bug body. At one point in the 50-60's they marketed the chassis so you can get your own coachbuilt body made instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEQo9rGOiA0

 

In fact, the 1st high end luxury cars from the early 1900's (Duesenberg, Rolls Royce, etc) were all "modular", you buy a chassis from them and you go pick out your own body style/design from their select catalog of coachbuilders. The concept has been around since day 1 IMO.