Hiriko
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MIT's Hiriko 'foldable' car said to be priced at around $16k when it launches later next year
There's certainly a great amount of hype behind that Spanish, MIT-backed EV project called Hiriko, and although we'd been given an idea of how much this miniature ride would cost to make, we still hadn't heard any word on the official MSRP. Well, according to PSFK, the site's heard confirmation that the unorthodox Hiriko electric car will be priced at "around" $16,000 when it finally launches in 2013, which could be considered a small price to pay for driving around in a foldable and very fancy four-wheeler. Unfortunately, we've yet to hear what roads around the world the Hiriko Fold will be hitting after launch, but as you may or may not know, the company does say it'll be perfect for cities like San Francisco, Barcelona and Berlin.
Hiriko: The MIT-backed, Spanish 'folding' EV that wants to make cities bigger
Meet Hiriko, an EV that's the fruit of a collaboration between MIT, Basque businesses and the Spanish government. It might look like the rest of those sci-fi Jetson-style concepts, but it has a few tricks up its wheel-arches. Rather than a regular configuration, the bubble-esque ride has four independent in-wheel motors. Also, when you're ready to park this thing, the back section slides forward, "folding" the cabin up vertically -- a feat the makers claim will see it occupy only two-thirds of the space taken by a Smart ForTwo. Other neat features include a single front-opening door and joystick controls (rather than a plain old steering wheel). There's no details on range, mph and charge speed, but 20 test vehicles are being built at a reported cost of $16,253 each. There's no hint at what this will translate to in sticker price when it goes into production next year, but with the initial trials taking place imminently, it looks like Hiriko (meaning "of the city") could be a feature in your city quite soon.
