A Chinese car brand has come up with a new way to lure customers into buying their latest cars that feature an in-built fish tank on the backseat. Well we are not sure if the idea is going to attract car lovers or not but it surely did attract aquarium enthusiasts.
The fish pod in the Guangzhou Auto WitStar Concept recently debuted at the 2013 Guangzhou Auto Show. The WitStar showcases technology for autonomous driving. The fish are used to prove that the WitStar is competent of avoiding obstacles and ensuring safe drive. An accidental crash would break the pod and kill the fish. The car company is confident that the protective measures used in the car would prevent accidents to a great extent ensuring safe drive all including the fishes. The fish pod is an integral part of the WitStar’s design; the pod sits in a specially constructed bay in the rear bench, which thus only can seat two. The pod is filled with ten gold fish, five water plants, and a thick layer of white stones.
It’s a self-driving car. You don’t have to look at the road. Instead, you can look at pretty fish inside. There’s a well-designed aquarium built into the backseat armrest. There would be some matter-of-fact issues with the fish, such as excessive heat and cold, as well as the need for fresh water. But if you can afford this car, you can almost certainly afford to deal with those problems.
The passengers in the front, because they are just passengers in an autonomous vehicle, can turn their seats around and join the action in the pod, while driving. The WitStar is outfitted with cameras and computers that can make a 3D image of the surrounding world, and plan a safe way home. However, Guangzhou Auto didn’t demonstrate the system on the show. The vehicle stood static on a platform. It somehow doesn’t look too real.
It appears to be made out of foam and carton. But anyhow, this is a concept car and concept cars are almost always completely or partly forged. The thought is what matters for a concept car and the WitStar scores very high here, being able to safely carry gold fish around. They have yet to check if the car would be able to survive the real challenges of the real world like the survivability of the fishes in a Chinese traffic jam.
The WitStar is powered by an electric motor assisted by a petrol-powered range extender. Top speed is 160km/h. Acceleration from 0 to 50 (fifty) km/h takes 4.5 seconds. Range on pure electric is 100 km, and range with the extender on is 600km. That is, a long way to go for a little gold fish of course if you are taking some fish food on board. There are sci-fi camera pod on the roof. Gull-wing doors are for easy access to tap water since the water in a fish pod needs to be changed, now and then.