Extendable MP-FUV: Type 4 Is the Coolest Family EV

The headline feature of Type 4 is the ability to extend itself on command. This is achieved thanks to the MP-FUV’s large aluminum space frame construction, which is an aluminum unibody with aluminum beams for critical areas. It contributes to a relatively lightweight chassis, especially the lightweight tail section that extends.

This design is inspired by caterpillars. The tail section can be tucked in for the maneuverability of a more compact minivan; it can be extended to provide additional luggage space or for the rear double sofa seats to convert into a second bed. Indeed, the tail section can be partially extended or set in “crawl mode”. In crawl mode, the tail will slowly alternate between retracting and extending, like a caterpillar that crawls. For safety, cameras and radars are used to prevent the tail from extending into objects or the vehicle behind.

As the world’s first, this extendable body design will surely win over the owner’s family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and everyone else on the road who sees it. The crawl mode adds further flair that will captivate their admiration. With it, Type 4 is not a boring minivan but a Multi-Purpose-Fun-Utility-Vehicle.

To maximize the interior space, Type 4 uses four in-wheel AC motors. To manage the unsprung weight, it uses double-wishbone suspensions combined with air struts at all four corners. This forms the foundation of QuattroMaticDrive+.

Thanks to its steer-by-wire system with all-wheel steering, QuattroMaticDrive+ turns all wheels independently, thereby optimizing contact in all driving conditions. It also enables diagonal driving. In tight spaces, all four wheels can turn in the same direction for up to 50 degrees, an amount unimaginable with a drive axle. When doing a tight U-turn, the front and rear wheels can turn in the opposite direction. Thus, Type 4 can then get in and out of tight spaces with ease.

QuattroMaticDrive+ comes with unique fun-inducing drive modes such as Front-Wheel Burnout and Rear-Wheel Burnout. In the former, the car will only use the front wheel motors to propel itself. At launch, it will use the rear motors to drag the rear wheels so that it is easy to do stationary or crawling burnouts. The reverse is done for Rear-Wheel Burnout.

In Comfort mode, QuattroMaticDrive+ will power the rear motors more than the front at launch to eliminate pitch and dive. Similarly, it will use more regen on the rear when slowing down.

In Drift mode, Type 4 will intelligently command power from each of the motors to allow even amateurs to drift like a pro.

What is also great about in-wheel motors is that they are easily upgradable. As technology advances, owners can get more powerful and more efficient upgrades.

Type 4 has unpainted aluminum body shell that maintains an iconic look. Two horizonal stripes wrap around the vehicle. The upper one is black anodized aluminum that surrounds the wraparound windshield and rear window as well as all side windows. The lower, narrower one is barely visible. It consists of tiny holes behind which LED dots reside. This is the Wraparound Dot Matrix Display.

With this feature, the owner can display messages, images, and animations to the world. It instantly captures the attention from others to the car, again making you the coolest on the road.

As standard, this will be a single-color display. There will be a paid option to upgrade to a 256-color display. In either case, when we say wraparound, we mean it wraps the MP-FUV all the way around.

Another trick under its sleeve is double sliding doors on both sides, making this a unique quad sliding door minivan. Each door is 1m wide, which means that when opened they provide easy access to all seats. Even the front driver’s seat is accessed this way, thanks to its one-in-a-row setup. This is not only cool but also practical and convenient. Obviously, the car will automatically straighten the wheels.

The driver’s seat is centrally located in the cockpit. Working with the contour of the front-end, everything wraps around the driver like it is in a bullet train. There is no physical button. Instead, two 180-degree panoramic instrument displays surround the pilot seat, one below the windshield, one above. This results in our 180+180=360-Degree Panoramic Instrument. From edge to edge, these curved displays are over 80 inches large each, the most expansive in the world today.

What is unique here is that every inch of this instrument is touch sensitive, and all functions and interfaces are customizable. The owner can move items around like gadgets.

Below the lower instrument, on the left just in front of the sliding door is a refrigerator. On the right, there is a microwave oven.

As standard, Type 4 comes with a three-row seating arrangement. The middle and rear seats are both double sofa seats, i.e. there is no divider between the two sides. This serves two purposes: It allows passengers more intimacy, and there is a continuous surface that converts naturally into a double bed.

Naturally, the middle sofa is wider than the rear one, which is limited by the rear wheels. Thus, it is perhaps more suitable for children or a single adult. Please also note that the tail needs to be extended for the rear sofa to convert into a bed.

Needless to say, all seats are adjustable, including front-and-back. They all have full suites of massaging functions and have speakers built in. Each seat is also air-cushioned like it is in a semi-tractor. These features combine into Double Bed2.

Last but certainly not least, both the middle and rear sofas have their own IMAX Cinema displays. These curved displays are mounted on the ceiling and adjustable in angle and position. Unlike most car displays that are wide, these are in the 4:3 IMAX aspect ratio. Together with their curvature, they provide the passengers the most immersive viewing experience one can imagine. When the bed is deployed, the passengers only need to put their display into bed mode with the remote or voice control, and the large IMAX display automatically retracts into the ceiling and repositions rearwards.

Working with these displays is one of the most sophisticated and powerful sound systems ever put into a car. There are 5 speakers for each occupant’s seating position, 2 tweeters, 2 mids, and 1 woofer each, 25 in total. Then, the ceiling and window frames have numerous speakers embedded, and the IMAX displays each has an additional 9-speaker setup. There are four closed subwoofers, too, one in the driver’s footwell, one in the floor in the tail section, and two sandwiching the battery pack.