Amphibious vehicles could soon be zooming out of James Bond's garage - or pond - and into American homes.
The Quadski - a one-person all-terrain vehicle that doubles as a personal watercraft - is being billed by its makers as the first high-speed, commercially available amphibious vehicle.
It's scheduled to go on sale in the US by the end of this year for around $40 000 (R352 000) and Michigan-based Gibbs Sports Amphibians hopes to sell the vehicle worldwide by 2014.
With its all-terrain tires and four-cylinder BMW engine, the Quadski can drive up to 72km/h on land. To take it into the water, the driver presses a button. In five seconds, the four wheels fold up and tuck into the sides. The Quadski can reach a brisk 72km/h on water before a press of the button brings the wheels out again.
Gibbs Sports Amphibians founder Alan Gibbs said: “You just drive straight into the water, quite fast, and keep on going. It's sort of magic.
FIBREGLASS HULL
History is littered with attempts to make fast, long-lasting amphibious cars, from the campy German Amphicar of the early 1960s to current companies that rework sports cars by hand for $200 000 (R1.8 million) or more. But Gibbs, a former diplomat and entrepreneur from New Zealand, says the Quadski is the first land vehicle for sale that can go more than 16km/h on water. A lightweight, fibreglass hull and front wheels that rise mechanically when the vehicle hits the water are among the tricks the Quadski uses.
Gibbs, who has made everything from bras to television sets over a long career in New Zealand and the UK, launched Gibbs Sports Amphibians 16 years ago after building his own amphibious car and wondering if he could make it on a larger scale.
Since then, the company has spent $200 million, built nine prototypes and amassed more than 300 patents.
Gibbs said: “It seems so simple, but it's really difficult.”
THE QUADSKI ISN’T GIBBS’ FIRST VEHICLE
That honour belongs to the three-seat Aquada, which debuted in 2003 and does 160km/h on land and 50km/h on water. Virgin boss Sir ichard Branson used an Aquada in 2004 when he set an amphibious vehicle speed record crossing the English Channel.
But the Aquada never went on sale. First its engine supplier, Rover, went out of business. Then US safety regulators wouldn't approve it for street use because of safety issues.
The government insisted on air bags, for example, even though Gibbs argued that they might deploy every time the Aquada hit a big wave.
Gibbs Sports Amphibians hopes to turn things around with the Quadski, which has fewer safety requirements because it's an ATV. The company's target customers are outdoor sportsmen as well as first responders. The Quadski will come in five colors and will be available at ATV dealers concentrated in Florida, Texas, the New York-to-Boston corridor and the Great Lakes region.
Ryan Brown, a salesman at Carter Powersports in Las Vegas, has never heard of another vehicle like the Quadski and thinks it's a great concept. But he's not sure customers will pay $40 000 for one when a standard quad costs between $4400 and $10 000 (R39 000 - R88 000).
“These are toys people don't have a lot of extra money for right now,” he said. “People are having a hard enough time getting financed on a $5000 motorcycle.”
READY FOR PRODUCTION
The Quadski will be made at the company's Auburn Hills, Michigan, factory, a former Daewoo parts plant. Gibbs chairman Neil Jenkins says the company now has 100 employees at the plant and plans to produce 20 Quadskis per day with 150 employees when the plant is in full operation.
The company expects to sell about 1000 Quadskis in the first year, but Gibbs says he won't be disappointed if it doesn't meet its sales targets.
“We'll respond to how the market develops,” he said. “We wouldn't be doing it without being very confident people will love them.”
Gibbs said the company may return to the Aquada someday and try to make it street legal for US buyers. In the meantime it's planning eight personal sports vehicles based on the Quadski, including some with more seating and SUV-like proportions.
The company is also preparing to introduce the Phibian, a nine-metre, 6.5-tonne model, and the Humdinga, a 6.6-metre, 3.5-tonner, both intended for the military and first responders.
The company is looking for partners to produce those vehicles. - Sapa-AP