It looks like something from a cartoon or a Harry Potter movie, where the dimensions of a normal car have been comically squished.
But this ultra-slim electric vehicle, unveiled in Italy, is a real fully-functioning passenger vehicle.
The Fiat Panda, just 19.6 inches (50cm) wide, fits a driver in the front and one passenger in the back – as long as they’re slender enough.
It can steer left and right, stop and drive forwards and backwards like any other automobile – albeit at slow speeds.
The car will appeal to those left infuriated by wasted space at a car park, as it can fit in some of the tightest of gaps.
But it’s been getting a mixed response on social media, with commentators calling it ‘impractical’, ‘ugly’ and ‘nuts’.
One Reddit user joked: ‘They’ve got a Flintstones hatch where you just put your feet down on the ground to stabilize yourself.’
Another said: ‘The only car allowed in the bike lane’, while someone else posted: ‘I can see Mr. Bean driving this.’
The remarkable car was handcrafted by Italian mechanic Andrea Marazzi, who used materials from an original 1993 model Fiat Panda
There’s few things more annoying than finding wasted space at a car park – but the new ultra-slim vehicle can fit in some of the tightest of gaps
A fourth Reddit user posted: ‘Average American wouldn’t fit, while a fifth said: ‘I’m getting claustrophobic just looking at it.’
Someone else pointed out: ‘I’d be shocked if this was designed with anything like health and safety regulations in mind.’
The remarkable vehicle was handcrafted by 30-year-old Italian mechanic Andrea Marazzi, who used original materials from a 1993 model Fiat Panda.
He demonstrated it at a recent festival celebrating 45 years of the Fiat Panda in the Italian town of Pandino, southeast of Milan.
And in response to suggestions the vehicle could be felled by the slightest of wind, Marazzi demonstrated its stability with some robust pushing.
‘Many people think that it will tip over just by blowing but they are wrong,’ he said in a video posted to Instagram, translated from Italian.
‘Look here – you have to push it a little and it will wobble but it won’t [fall over].’
As well as being just 19.6 inches (50cm) wide, the car weighs 264 kg, stands at 57 inches (145cm) tall, and is 133 inches (340cm) long, Design Boom reports.
The single-seater Fiat Panda, just 19.6 inches (50cm) wide, fits one person – as long as they’re slender enough to fit in it
Mr Marazzi demonstrated it at a recent festival celebrating 45 years of the Fiat Panda in the Italian town of Pandino, southeast of Milan
Despite its slender build, it has several features that normal cars have, including four wheels, two rear-view mirrors and two passenger doors either side of the driver.
At the back is a small space for a passenger who has to be of a very short and slender build, ideally a child.
The car also packs a steering wheel, indicator lights, and a single headlight for cruising at night, but no license plates.
And rather than packing a gas engine under the bonnet, it runs on a 24V electric battery and motor taken from an e-scooter, which means it only goes at nine miles per hour (15 km per hour), which is too slow to take to the roads.
But Mr Marazzi is in the process of submitting the car for a Guinness World Record as the slimmest functioning vehicle ever made.
Gaurav Sood, consumer electronics expert at Yanko Design, called it more of an ‘art installation than transport solution’.
‘The narrow Panda invites viewers to rethink proportions, functionality, and playfulness in mechanical design,’ he said.
‘It’s a rolling experiment – part engineering challenge, part tribute, and part public spectacle.’
The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat since 1980. Pictured, a 1997 Fiat Panda model
Although this is a fully-functional car, it’s not for sale, nor is it legally registered for driving on public roads.
However, the slim Fiat Panda does give an idea of what cars of the near future could look like, in order to make use of free space in congested car parks and roadsides.
Electric cars – which run on batteries much like smartphones do – are being touted as the future of personal transportation, but some experts are also expect flying cars to take to the skies soon.
Widespread adoption of flying vehicles will make use of the vast empty space in the air while greatly reducing congestion on roads.
WHAT TYPE OF FLYING TAXIS COULD WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE?
Advances in electric motors, battery technology and autonomous software has triggered an explosion in the field of electric air taxis.
Larry Page, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet, has poured millions into aviation start-ups Zee Aero and Kitty Hawk, which are both striving to create all-electric flying cabs.
Kitty Hawk is believed to be developing a flying car and has already filed more than a dozen different aircraft registrations with the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA.
Page, who co-founded Google with Sergey Brin back in 1998, has personally invested $100 million (£70 million) into the two companies, which have yet to publicly acknowledge or demonstrate their technology.
AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018. Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing
Airbus is also hard at work on an all-electric, vertical-take-off-and-landing craft, with its latest Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completing its maiden test flight in February 2018.
The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds.
Airbus previously shared a well-produced concept video, showcasing its vision for Project Vahana.
The footage reveals a sleek self-flying aircraft that seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts in similar way to a motorcycle helmet visor.
Airbus Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completed its maiden test flight in February 2018. The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds
AirSpaceX is another company with ambitions to take commuters to the skies.
The Detroit-based start-up has promised to deploy 2,500 aircrafts in the 50 largest cities in the United States by 2026.
AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018.
Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing.
AirSpaceX has even included broadband connectivity for high speed internet access so you can check your Facebook News Feed as you fly to work.
Aside from passenger and cargo services, AirSpaceX says the craft can also be used for medical and casualty evacuation, as well as tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).
Even Uber is working on making its ride-hailing service airborne.
Dubbed Uber Elevate, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tentatively discussed the company’s plans during a technology conference in January 2018.
‘I think it’s going to happen within the next 10 years,’ he said.
