Is Ford building an inflatable car?
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We’re guessing this will come with a very big fix a flat kit.
Ford has filed trademark applications for something called an Inflatable Light Urban Vehicle, or iLuv.
Classified under “vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water,” there’s little more information about what it could be.
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The outlet that first discovered the applications, Ford Inside News, suggests that they could be intended for use on some sort of small, collapsible personal urban transportation device, rather than a traditional car, but Ford isn’t saying. A spokesperson tells FoxNews.com that the company regularly trademarks various names and won't comment on any speculation surrounding these.
Mercedes-Benz has shown a prototype vehicle fitted with inflatable steel beams in its doors that expand in the event of a crash to absorb energy, while a San Francisco startup company called XP Vehicles has proposed a car made from flexible panels filled with lightweight expandable foam.
As for a blow-up Ford, the only one we’ve seen was a car-shaped airbag used during the demonstration of a crash test avoidance system, and it was not called iLuv. As least not as far as we know.
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Nevertheless, while you can’t yet buy an inflatable Ford, you can get one with rear seatbelts that inflate during an accident to help cushion the blow.
An air-filled vehicle that goes on “land, air or water” sounds like more fun.