Michelin announces two fitments
for its revolutionary non-pneumatic Tweel™

Michelin showcased a potential future for mobility, an integrated tire and wheel combination missing one ingredient that is vital for traditional tire performance...air.

The company unveiled the first real-world fitments for its revolutionary "Tweel"  which operates entirely without air.

Michelin's Tweel is in production and available as an enhancement for future iBOT™ mobility systems.

Invented by Dean Kamen, the iBOT™ mobility device has the ability to climb stairs and navigate uneven terrain, offering mobility freedom impossible with traditional wheelchairs.

Additionally, Segway LLC's Concept Centaur, a prototype that applies self-balancing technology to a four-wheel device, has also been equipped with Tweel to increase its performance potential.

Beyond these first real-world applications, Michelin has additional projects for Tweel on construction skid steers and a variety of military vehicles.

The most intriguing application may be Michelin's early prototype Tweel fitment for passenger cars.

The mobility company released video of promising Tweel performance on an Audi A4

.”The Tweel automotive application, as demonstrated on the Audi, is definitely a concept, a stretch application with strong future potential," said Gettys. "Our concentration is to enter the market with lower-speed, lower-weight Tweel applications.

What we learn from our early successes will be applied to Tweel fitments for passenger cars and beyond”

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Nice Carpets, Good Legroom...

The Indian-built Tata Indigo sedan and Indica hatchback will test where South Africans really stand on price and whether it's really all about the bottom line or more about value for money.

Tata is gunning for the small, budget segment that accounts for about one-third of the new car market with these two models.

For price and specification, the lesser-specced Indigo and Indica compete with VW's CitiGolf and Toyota's Tazz while the top models are pitched against Opel's Corsa, VW's Polo, Fiat's Siena, Chevrolet's Aveo, Kia's Rio, Hyundai's Getz and Ford's Fiesta.

It followed the launch a few months earlier of the Tata Telcoline range of one-tonner bakkies and, like the workhorses, the prices of the cars are real attention-grabbers.

Add a driver's crash bag, four power windows, power steering, remote-controlled central locking, air-conditioning, the largest boot in its class, and a three-year or 100 000km warranty (a maintenance plan is optional) and the Indigo GLX seems like something you should rush out and buy without further thought.

But beneath a shiny, happy surface often lurks a dark surprise and the fact is that the Indica is not particularly well-built or pleasant to drive. In fact it's pretty nasty in some respects.

The "big car in a small car body" effect of its more solidly built rivals is lacking thanks to inconsistent body panel gaps and a generally tinny, flimsy feel.

The same goes for the Indica's cabin with its rather low-rent, slapdash finishes. It includes an ashtray that, once pulled out, wouldn't fit back into its slot for love or money and eventually became permanently stuck in the half-open position.

That said, the Indica scores high on practicality. The cabin's large for a car of this class and will seat four adults comfortably - five if people don't mind getting a bit chummy.

The class-topping, 450-litre boot has very useful cargo space and can be expanded by folding the rear backrests.

Styling of the sedan, inside and out, is neat and modern despite the cheap finishes and should attract the varsity-going brigade.

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