Detroit Auto Show: Moving the wheels away from the corners

Many Chinese car makers have been accused of copying other's designs, such as the Chery QQ. But at least one of the Chinese cars on display at this years Detroit Auto Show is most definitely not a clone. In recent years most car designers have worked very hard to move the wheels as far out to the corners as possible, as a means to maximizing interior space. The Rhombus design concept, originally conceived by Prof. Zhihua Zhong at Hunan University in 1990, aims to improve safety by moving two of the wheels to a center axle in the middle of the car and then one wheel at each end. The front and rear wheels are steered together to help cut the turning circle in half. It may or may not help safety, but I wouldn't even want to contemplate what this thing would do on a skid pad.

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