Each year Swiss design firm Rinspeed unveils a wacky concept at the Geneva Motor Show in order to demonstrate its talents and preview its take on the future of automotive design. Next year will be no different, with Rinspeed this week revealing its new microMAX concept car, with which it hopes to revolutionize urban congestion.

Leading the design of the microMAX was Rinspeed boss Frank Rinderknecht, who explains that the new concept combines personal and public transportation.

Thanks to the Internet and other means of social networking, car sharing programs have been popping up all over the globe. However, we are yet to see vehicles that have been designed solely with the focus of car sharing.

That’s where the Rinspeed microMAX enters the equation. The vehicle has been designed to be small so that it can hop around city landscapes, but at the same time it’s also got an innovative interior design with upright seats to maximize space.

This means that up to five people can comfortably sit in the vehicle, which is no bigger than a MINI Cooper. According to Rinspeed, there’s also space for a stroller or shopping cart as well as a coffee maker and refrigerator.

The powertrain is electric, which is ideal since the microMAX operates in city environments where short distances are the norm and exhaust smog can be a problem.

“Modern ride share centers nowadays are web-based or Smartphone-based. They operate in real time: You need to go to work on a regular basis or want to go somewhere right now and in no time at all you find the driver that’ll give you a ride,” Rinderknecht explains. “The microMAX aims to encourage potential passengers to get in and ride because it is extremely convenient and simple.”

The Rinspeed microMAX will be revealed to the public at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, press days for which commence March 5. For our ongoing coverage, be sure to visit our dedicated show hub.

Rinspeed microMAX concept car

Rinspeed microMAX concept car