Futurama

The government car company's first offering!

General Motors and Segway have joined forces to produce a two-wheel, two-seat, too-small-for-the-highway micro-car.

These new PUMAs (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) are based on the motorized personal transporters that made Segway famous. But rather than standing on the scooter’s two wheels, drivers sit on a well balanced bench encased in lightly protective walls.

GM and Segway hope the battery-powered vehicle will ease urban congestion and cut carbon emissions. During PUMA’s debut in New York City today, the two companies revealed plans to partner with cities and universities to set up special PUMA lanes. Segway failed to carve out exclusive real estate for its scooters years ago, leading to the predicament that they were a little too fast for sidewalks and a little too slow for roads. PUMAs can reach 35 miles per hour.

Gee, with city bureaucrats and university professors calling the shots, how can they miss?