Ford Files Patent Application for Car with Built-in Bike
Ford is looking into a number of different ways to capture the affections of both Millennials and Gen Z customers, and a new patent suggests that one of those methods may well involve giving customers a free bike with their vehicles.
Filed in August 2013 and published last week, Ford’s patent request outlines “a motor vehicle [that] includes a body configured to house a removable frame, a spare wheel, a removable headrest, and a jack.” As outlined in sketches, the bike would be constructed from component parts already available within the vehicle, including a removable headrest that transforms into a bike seat, a jack that is used for gearing and pedaling, and a spare tire that can be used for pretty much exactly the thing that you’d think a spare tire would be used for in this instance.
Ford has yet to be granted a patent for the idea, but it could receive the go-ahead as soon as the end of 2015. It would likely become part of Ford’s agenda to push ease of mobility in urban areas, as well as the need to wrangle new, younger customers with more flexibility.
News Source: Wall Street Journal
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