NZ-designed electric car in Chinese production?

The inventor of a new electric vehicle that is capable of parking sideways is maintaining his silence about the car going into production.

According to Stuff.Co.NZ the vehicle features four separately electrically powered wheels that are capable of steering independently, allowing easier parallel parking.

Otago Polytechnic associate professor Tom Qi has confirmed to Stuff.Co.NZ that permits have been applied for in China for the as yet unnamed vehicle, but he declined to confirm if the car was now in series production.

However, in an internal Polytechnic newsletter, Qi says it is now manufactured in three locations in China, preventing copying, and it would be assembled in New Zealand.

“Actually, it’s not a car, but I don’t want to call it a robot, I need a name for it,” says Qi.