Mazda suitcase car, a portable three-wheeled vehicle that fits in the luggage

[spacemule]

The cookie consent banner here is the ultimate dark pattern. No deny all option, and the options are impossible to determine. Is the first toggle to turn on or off? I assume on, but that's not labelled anywhere. Based on convention, I'd assume to the right is enabled, but it's entirely against their interests to have it default to off.

[zamadatix]

> but it's entirely against their interests to have it default to off.

It's been a long while since I've seen a cookie banner, but I always understood the law as that the user has to explicitly do something to opt-in which is why the customize options default to off and the "accept all" button is usually made the prevalent option instead. Not sure displaying non-essentials all default to on would really be in compliance, but to be honest I'm not sure anyone really cares enough about all of this anyways or the law would have been amended by now to block this kind of crap.

Just for fun I disabled my blocker to see the atrocity. They hid the "real" customize your choice in the bottom left, and (if you can ever find it) it's one of the better. The buttons do seem to be left is disabled/right is enabled on both pages. An impressive amount of work went into making this one as complex and confusing as can be, they should enter a competition!

[voidfunc]

Yep, I just closed the tab and said fuck it.

[saaspirant]

I use https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cookie-autode...

[impossiblefork]

I clicked save & exit, since save & exit obviously does not imply consent, so if they're doing something wrong with it, they're criminals.

[andrewl-hn]

Interesting how Japanese companies were pursuing these compact mobility solutions. One other example is Honda made two of them:

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Motocompo in 1980s and

- https://motocompacto.honda.com just a few years ago. This one is electric.

[makeitdouble]

It's notoriously hard/expensive to get a car/standard bike parking space. Even at home, and probably wherever you go if the place has any popularity. Think about parking car in Shibuya.

So a small vehicle has a real intrinsic value, not as simple as a parking a bicycle, but pretty close.

PS: Honda also makes the Monkey, which is ultra cute and pretty popular

https://www.honda.co.jp/Monkey125/

[eatonphil]

I think I've seen that Honda one around NYC. Had no clue what it was. It just looked like someone was riding a brief case and that's basically indeed what it is.

[i_v]

FortNine made a really great video about the Motocompacto last year! https://youtu.be/WQAe7EtVi-4

He opens with an entertaining sketch then digs into some of the history around these portable vehicle concepts.

[shmeeed]

O sweet times when it was imaginable to have a combustion engine weighing 32 kg in your check-in luggage.

I sincerely wonder if this wasn't hazmat back then?

[IAmBroom]

Pre-2001 was... different.

I was stopped by the metal detector at an airport. I didn't know why. Then the guy in the lane next to me said, "Oh, I'm wearing steel-toed boots."

I said, "Oh, I am too." (True)

Without any further questions or checking, they let us both through.

"That? It's just a giant, red, spherical Christmas ornament, with a string to hang it by, that happens to smell of gunpowder... and the monogram 'TNT' on the side."

[abujazar]

My stepdad brought a chainsaw as carry-on luggage around the same time.

[bob1029]

A mystery meat lithium ion battery pack from Amazon is probably more hazardous than this.

[makeitdouble]

This would be fine by bus/boat/train ?

[jeffwass]

The first time after getting my driving license and having to find parking in the city, I was so jealous of George Jetson whose car collapses into a briefcase when he gets to work. Glad to see TV converging to reality.

[otikik]

- Double-o Seven, for this mission you will need a fast stealth escape vehicle.

- So do I get an Aston Martin?

- Well ...

[Lio]

Quick Mr Bond they're gaining on us... they seem to be riding Bromptons!

[jack_tripper]

UK is in a recession so James Bond needs to tighten the belt. Also, only Tesco gin and tonic for him from now on.

[amelius]

Missed opportunity to use the wheels for the suitcase also.

(By the way, I'm looking for a suitcase with air pressure wheels)

[dmurray]

It looks like the wheels could stay attached to the outside of the suitcase. It means leaving it in the less standard configuration to pull around (landscape rather than portrait) but that can be overcome with a longer handle.

[rob74]

Yeah, if the suitcase weighs 32 kg, you'd definitely want to have some wheels on it!

Or (keeping with the technology available at the time) just go with a foldable bicycle - not as fast, but much lighter and more practical!

[aidenn0]

Out of curiosity, why do you want pneumatic wheels on your suitcase?

[tokai]

Remember seeing this in a Donald Duck magazine in the mid 90s. Thought it was the coolest thing ever and was sure I would get it one day.

Sadly I guess an E-folding bike beats it on all parameters now; compactness, speed, environment, etc., even if its not as neat.;

[xaerise]

The Wikipedia article on it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Suitcase_Car

[burnt-resistor]

There needs to be a category of "super" Chindōgu (珍道具) that fail the first rule by being possibly useful despite being impossibly impractical. Maybe 超良い奇妙な道具.

[tim333]

Here it is in action https://youtu.be/gQT8UhS4nXI?t=35

doesn't look very practical compared to modern electrical variants eg https://youtu.be/pILMLTcy7rI?t=8

[xnx]

Scootcase

[holdenc137]

Reminds me of Mike Jittlov's vehicle in Wizard of Speed and Time (1988)

[throw0101d]

See also perhaps (motorcycle channel) FortNine video/skit about Honda's equivalent (the skit ends and review ends at 9m10s):

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQAe7EtVi-4

[outlore]

Is it feasible today to build out a small motor and wheels into a luggage bag? Would love for it to follow me around the airport

[FieryMechanic]

This is a go cart.

[jack_tripper]

BREAKING: Nintendo sues Honda for infringing Mario Kart patent.

[jacknews]

'car' is a bit of a stretch, but it's a cool compact go-kart.

Is the ad character inspired by, or the inspiration for, Mr Bean?

[burnt-resistor]

I think it was a fun PR joke that was cool and funny itself and showed they didn't take themselves too seriously.

PS: What I miss from growing up - being awoken about 7:35 am to my next door neighbor's Solar Gold LS Wankel rev shifting from 1st->2nd as he commuted to Spectra-Physics.

[f137]

OK, but how do I load a suitcase on this thing?

[arealaccount]

Imagine driving around a 2 stroke engine inside an airport

[some_random]

We used to be a real country ;(

[scirob]

that full screen yellow cockie consent confirmation is next level. Is there anyway to fight back against this madness. Maybe just not using the internet anymore other than through AI summaries of websites ;(

[Our_Benefactors]

Just hide the element with an adblocker. Most of them don’t care to disable content/scrolling under the modal.

[jack_tripper]

Damn, Japan used to be the home of cool quirky consumer gadgets in the 80s-90s, I used to dream of as a kid, but sadly no more, now it's China.

Today's consumer innovations I see coming out of Japan are like "hey, wanna buy a cheaply made nostalgia-bate plastic replica of a popular 1980's digital Casio metal watch, for more than the price of a bluetooth smartwatch?"

[makeitdouble]

This Toyota chair still does it for me:

https://youtu.be/VzD9bhUIaK4?si=7Tap5tXi5974dIVo

[IAmBroom]

And fetish "little girl" stuff. That market is still active.