If you’ve read our recent blog, you probably know all about how to avoid door dings – but if a new innovation from Citroen catches on, the troublesome door ding might become a thing of the past…
Enter the Citroen C4 Cactus, an SUV reminiscent of the Nissan Juke and Mini Countryman. It’s an interesting little car with some unexpected features. For one thing, it’s surprisingly light, weighing in at just 965kg (although it achieves this by eschewing traditional electronic wind-down windows in favour of pop-out windows, amongst other minor weight-saving deviations).
Bubble Wrap for Cars?
However, the feature we find the most intriguing about the Cactus is the ‘Airbumps’ which are situated at the front, back and on the side doors. These air-filled bubbles, made from thermoplastic polyurethane (or TPU), are designed to flex and absorb the shock from small impacts – a bit like giant bubble wrap, or the shock absorbers in trainers.
What kind of ‘small impacts’ are we talking about here? Specifically, the kind of impacts that would likely cause damage in a car park – such as a shopping trolley rolling into the car, or your next-bay-neighbour accidentally swinging their door into yours.
Essentially, the Cactus’ Airbumps are anti-door ding devices…
Citroen have referred to the Cactus as the ‘world’s first car park-proof car’, and it seems perfectly designed for those who feel anxious about parking. There’s even the option for Park Assist technology, where the car parks itself for you!
What do you think? Are the Cactus’ Airbumps a cool innovation, or just cheesy window dressing? Let us know in the comments below.
Image credit: Norbert Aepli, Switzerland.