Acid rain, hail storms and residue from trees can all damage your car. We hate that, but we put up with it because there's no solution unless you're loaded enough to have a garage.
However, a company from China has invented an alternative solution. It's still a garage, but it works in an entirely different way and has many added benefits.
As you can see from this video, the device starts out as a half-shell that you reverse into. After you leave the vehicle, a Chevy Cruze sedan in this demo, the cocoon extends out and covers everything up nicely.
Because space is always at a premium in China, the machine is designed to be small enough to fit into a parking spot. That's the upside, the downside being that you'll probably need to be a very skilled driver to reverse into it. Even with parking sensors, it takes some experience to align with the bay correctly.
This demo video seems too good to be true. After all, if you have so much space that you can install a couple of these pods, couldn't you just build a regular garage or just erect a roof? A BMW X5 or Audi A8L probably wouldn't fit in there, now would they? But there are some benefits, the biggest of which is that the invention is mobile and can be moved from one location to another.
And while we're on the subject of negatives, it's a good thing that people in China never use the trunks or back doors on their cars. Seriously, how are you supposed to use this you have a large box? Do you get out, leave the car in the middle of the road, take the box out and then reverse?
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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