Coming soon: The car you can put in your pocket

Do you, like thousands of homeowners, have household stuff spilling over into your garage? Do you wish you had room in your garage to actually park your car? Do you wish, like us, that you actually HAD a garage? Whoops, I digress.


MIT engineers have come up with a solution whereby we would no longer have to choose between our car and our stuff. We can have both! 


This solution is a tiny car that becomes even tinier for parking by folding in on itself. To picture this folding car, imagine a Little Tykes red and yellow plastic car where the rear folds underneath the chassis -- imagine the Little Tykes car HAS a chassis -- and you have the general idea of the Hiriko (from the French "to fold and laugh hilariously at"). When folded, three Hirikos (Hiriki?) can fit into one standard parking space. That is, unless I am driving, and I am parallel parking, and then this number changes drastically in a downward manner.


As you might expect, this compact of a car would be extremely useful on crowded city streets, in areas with limited parking, and in situations necessitating a speedy getaway ("The car just went right under that ice cream cart, Officer. Really!"). 


Of course, space is severely limited in this car. For instance, engineers, excited by the possibilities of such a unique machine, built it all and then realized there was no room for a gas tank. No problem! They made the car electric. Other parts generally associated with a car have also found new homes throughout the vehicle, such as the motor in the wheels. Much research and debate, of course, went into the design ("We could save even MORE room in the front if we move the steering wheel to the roof...").


You may have to make certain accommodations if you drive the Hiriko. If you are accustomed to hauling your dog around in the car, for example, you may need to get a folding version of Fido. Maybe MIT can work on that next.


We're wondering, with all this innovation, why not make a car that can fold up and fit in your purse? You wouldn't need a parking spot at all! Parking lots could be converted to green spaces. 


This is not likely to happen, however. Why? Because men are primarily designing cars, and men do not use purses (not in this country, anyway). Perhaps if we called the purses a cool, manly name. Such as Hiriko.


Now, if only those MIT people could come up with a folding GARAGE...