PUMA: GM and Segway’s Solution for Urban Transportation

Every year, more people worldwide flock to cities, where congestion and pollution are becoming intolerable. GM and Segway have teamed up to build what they believe is the solution: a two-seat, two-wheeled Segway with zero emissions. These images represent the skeletal prototype, developed under a project dubbed PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), which will go into pre-production this fall. The companies expect the yet-unnamed urban transporter to get its finalized look-and-feel by early next year, meaning sales could start as soon as 2010–and because the 700-pound vehicle will require 80% fewer materials than the average car, it stands to reason it could be about 80% cheaper than a car, too.