Squba: The World\'s First -

Squba": The World's First - but Not Last -- Submersible Car

Many years ago spent the best part of an evening with Col. Theodore Roosevelt discussing ways and means of deep-sea diving.... As the years went by, my yearning for such a deepwater device never slackened. Diving in a copper helmet to a depth of perhaps ten fathoms and drawing hundreds of nets through the sea convinced me that the ocean holds a world almost as unknown as Mars and Venus. -- Melville Bell Grosvenor, 1963

Fully two-thirds of the earth is covered by water, and much of it remains unexplored. Throughout history, mankind has sought ways to plumb the ocean's depths and see just what is down there, and some early attempts were more successful than others. Today, though, submariners routinely patrol the world's oceans and IMAX productions of underwater vistas and coral reefs beckon the general public to join them. In this environment, it is little wonder that a submersible car has been developed by researchers and some observers suggest that this new vehicle, the sQuba, holds some significant commercial potential. To see if this is the case, this paper provides reviews the existing literature to support the conclusion that the sQuba is a viable consumer product, and will demonstrate how the company will gain and maintain its competitive advantage in the future.

Review and Discussion

The epigraph above suggests that humans are apparently hard-wired to want to view the mysterious underwater realm and history has borne this out time and again. According to Stiebing (1993), "People have always lived in intimate contact with rivers, lakes, and seas. They have drawn physical sustenance from them, relied on them for a degree of protection from enemies, and used them as avenues for trade and population movements. But until very recently humans have been strangers to the world below the water's surface" (p. 227). Well, at least most people have been strangers to underwater exploration until recently. In this regard, Grosvenor, Severy and Park (1963) advise that as early as the 4th century BCE, at least one individual descended beneath the ocean's surface and lived to tell the tale. "Legend has it that Alexander the Great," they report, "who sighed for new worlds to conquer, was the first man to go deep in the ocean merely to look at fish. Several versions report that he saw a monster so huge it took three days to swim past his glass cage!" (Grosvenor et al., p. 285). Likewise, as early as the 18th century, a physicist named Halley used a diving bell supplied with air by barrels to probe the underwater depths to about ten fathoms (Grosvenor et al.).

After World War II, the invention of a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) that was capable of being worn by individual divers helped to further fuel interest in underwater exploration (Hemingway, 2004). More recently, innovations in deepwater technology have been developed that allow researchers to investigate underwater wreck sites at greater depths than ever before; these innovations, combined with the enormous success to the exploration of the modern Titanic wreck, have made significant contributions increasing interest in the recovery and documentation of ancient shipwrecks (Hemingway, 2004).

Today, interest in underwater exploration has been further fueled by the introduction of the world's first truly submersible car, the so-called sQuba. According to the manufacturer's press release, "SQuba is an innovative car that is capable of driving on roads just like a normal car, yet it can also be turned into an amphibious vehicle capable of diving, reaching depths of up to 10 meters (33 feet). It is no accident that this concept car looks like it was taken out of sci-fi movies, as indeed such movies inspired the cars creators. sQuba has been exhibited recently at Geneva motor show from March 6 to March.16, 2008" (Rinspeed's zero emission, 2008, p. 3). Unfortunately for wanna-be underwater explorers cum drivers, there are currently no plans in place for mass-production of the sQuba, though (Zyga, 2007; sQuba, 2008). Despite the current lack of firm plans for mass production, Klapper advises, "Rinspeed is in discussion with commercial manufacturers about making a limited number of the cars. The price? It would be cheaper than a Rolls-Royce" (a 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe has a sticker price of more than $400,000) (p. 3).

In their review of the sQuba, the analysts at Uncrate (2008) report that, "More than 30 years since Roger Moore's 007 put the idea into every guy's head, someone has finally replicated the underwater auto experience. Swiss design company Rinspeed has created the sQuba ($1.4 million), the world's first submersible car. Based on the Lotus Elise (it was a Lotus Esprit in the Spy Who Loved Me)" (sQuba, p. 1). As Klapper (2008) reports in an article in USA Today, "Rinspeed boss Frank Rinderknecht wanted to re-create a car used in the 1977 Bond movie the Spy Who Loved Me. The sQuba comes close" (p. 2). According to Todd (2006), "The Lotus Submarine Car from 'The Spy Who Loved Me' could spray cement, missiles and torpedoes at passing vehicles" (p. 6); however, while the sQuba is not capable of these feats,.".. The all-electric convertible can drive you to the lake in style and then dive underwater to a depth of over 30 feet" (sQuba, 2008, p. 3).

Perhaps the company should reconsider these mass production plans because the consumer demand is clearly there. While some observers might view such a vehicle with some serious reservations concerning safety and functionality, the sQuba design was specifically developed in collaboration with Rinspeed's professional business partners in the venture, Wetzel, a company with much expertise in this area. As a result, the sQuba is capable of withstanding the unique demands required of a submersible car. According to the company's press release, "The sQuba stands up against all the demands made on it, even under water, and these demands go far beyond those necessary for any normal vehicle. A skin like that of a shark with an aesthetically demanding, textured surface with a sleek and supple feel to it forms the bond between the vehicle and the underwater world" (emphasis added) (Rinspeed's zero emission, p. 3).

As can be seen in Figure 1 below, the designers of the sQuba did not skimp when it came to futuristic design elements and the use of state-of-the-art foil embossing technology to make this car look likes its moving even when it is standing still. In this regard, the Rinspeed press release adds that, "The finishing touches of this impressive design are achieved with a special 3D effect. The design and R&D departments of Wetzel GmbH have demonstrated once more how they have more than lived up to their reputation as a top-performing technological specialist in the sector of specialist foil embossing. This project, which has been realized in cooperation with Konrad Hornschuch AG, is guaranteed to draw attention to itself" (Rinspeed's, p. 4).

Figure 1. Graphic of sQuba.

Source: http://www.uncrate.com/men/images/2008/02/squba.jpg

Likewise, analysts at Uncrate advise, "The car's engine was removed and replaced by three motors -- one for land driving, good for up to 75 mph, and two others for the underwater propellers. Power is supplied by rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries" (sQuba, p. 4). These design elements have combined to create an automobile that performs well in both of its intended media. All in all, the sQuba is a high-performance vehicle on land and under the water, and the vehicle has attracted an enormous amount of attention from the media as well as the general public as a result. Some representative consumer comments in response to the Klapper article included: