And Now, The Mercedes-Benz That Fits In Its Own Trunk

Most Mercedes-Benz vehicles have four wheels, lots of airbags and a big trunk, but the German automaker's latest effort doesn't meet any of those criteria. In fact, this latest Benz just folds under pressure.

It's the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz Folding Bike, one of the handful of two-wheelers made by luxury brands to hook their clients for another couple grand, while simultaneously giving them a way to reduce their personal carbon footprint. Like BMW and Aston Martin, Benz has been selling custom bikes for years; the Benz range also includes non-folding bikes for trekking, racing and trail riding, for example.

The newest Folding Bike does have some things in common with the company's more well-known street-legal machines: there's an eight-speed "clutchless transmission" (gears, we assume), disc brakes and an independent suspension, along with Continental tires. There's a gel seat, too, so that future generations of Mercedes-Benz clients can make their way into the world unharmed.

And of course, it's really a convertible: a simple mechanism allows it to fold down into a bag, which slots neatly into the trunk of even an SLK roadster.

Available in the U.K. at this writing, the Folding Bike comes in Silver Arrows silver or icy white, and costs about $1750. There's no plan to start selling the bikes in the U.S.