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New York Motor Show: crazy concept cars

Zero Pollution Motors is designing a car which runs on air

28 March 2008

Welcome to The Weird World of Wheels, our weekly round-up of the strangest car-related news from around the world.

This week, Andy Goodwin brings you all the weird and wacky cars from the 2008 New York Motor Show.

View more pictures of crazy concepts at the 2008 New York Motor Show

Milner Motors Air Car

If you have always wanted to fly, and see it as a perfect means of soaring over our endless traffic jams – you will love the work of Milner Motors.

Their brainchild, the ‘air car’ might one day be able to cruise at speeds of 200mph – all after driving it out of your garage and onto the street.

It features retractable and folding wings and will seat four people. At the moment it is purely a design study, with no engine.

Scion Hako Coupe

This outlandish vehicle is produced by Scion, a division of ultra-sensible-Toyota. It is aimed at the US market and looks like it’s just stepped out of a comic book.

The vertical windscreen continues onto its roof, and the side windows wrap around the entire Hako without interruption from pillars.

With features including interior video monitors, this is a ride which the manufacturers pimp for you.

Nissan Denki Cube Concept

Keeping with the square theme, it’s the Nissan Denki Cube Concept.

‘Denki’ is Japanese for ‘electric’ and this Nissan is a hybrid with a small petrol engine linked to batteries and an electric motor.

Automotive X Prize competitors

The X Prize Foundation claims their mission is to bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity – and it has famously organised high profile competitions with big prizes for the first ‘winners’ – including the first non-government organisation to launch a reusable manned spacecraft.

The Progressive Automotive X Prize has now been announced, and the race is on for companies to build and race a financially viable, desirable and well performing 100mpg car.

The ‘Alé’

The Alé, built by Fuel Vapour Technologies (FVT), is a light-weight three-wheeled hybrid car, which FVT claims is capable of more than 90mpg and 0-60mph in just 5 seconds.

Zero Pollution Motors

Zero Pollution Motors is designing a car which runs on air. It uses the energy stored in compressed air to move at low speeds, creating zero pollution, and an ultra-low-emission engine at higher speeds.

Venture Vehicles

This company has produced a three-wheeled vehicle which will be powered by plugging it into the mains electricity or using a petrol-electric hybrid system. And it reminds us of a new take on the iconic Sinclair C5 battery car from 1985. It is based on the Carver three-wheeler which is famous for tilting into corners as it turns.