Swiss firm Rinspeeed are a kind of odd-ball company that like to push the envelope. A lot. For instance, last year, they created a car that you could drive through water. Not just on the sea bed, but actually through the water, just like a fish. Just Google "Rinspeed sQuba Concept" to see for yourself. So when one of the biggest Motor Shows in the world came to a home-country city, they went all out. This bizarre looking car actually changes body shape, depending on how many passengers the car has to take.

Now I've been studying these pictures for a good half-hour now, and have been reading the Rinspeed press release, but I still don't really understand how it works. Here's my theory. Basically, the rear of the car, including the rear wheels, slides out, increasing the wheelbase of the car, even though the glass area (the roof) doesn't change. So I'm slightly doubtful about the amount of extra room this system provides. If there is no extra cabin space for extra passengers, what is the point of the extra length, and how does this car swallow more passengers, anyway?

Probably more relevant to today's automobile industry is the fact that this car is an electric sports car, which weighs only 1050kg, goes from 0-100kmh in just four seconds, and has batteries that recharge using solar power collected from panels in the roof. Yes, it's wierd, but it's interesting all the same.

GENEVA 2009: Rinspeed iChange Shapeshifter