The world’s first 'printed' car has finally rolled off the printing press.
The 'Urbee' was made using a special printer which built up layer upon layer of bodywork - almost as if the car was 'painted' into existence, except using layers of ultra-thin composite that are slowly 'fused' into a solid.
But unlike most 'innovations' in cars, this one won't break down after 5 years - Urbee is built to last 30. Project leader Jim Kor, told MailOnline today: 'For us, this unveiling was quite a milestone.
Built to last: The highly-durable material used in 'additive layer manufacturing' is said to last for 30 years
Underneath is a petrol and electric hybrid engine which helps make it one of the greenest cars in the world.
Experts have said the car uses eight times less energy than a similar vehicle and can go can go 200mpg on the motorway.
It also has a sleek, futuristic design which makes it look like a prop from a science fiction film like the Fifth Element.
The ‘printing’ process, however, it what has attracted so much attention: it was completely different to the normal way car manufacturers build a car, which is to bolt chunks of bodywork on where they need to go.
Engineers on the Urbee instead put layers of ultra thin composite material on top of each other so they become fused together to make it 3D in a process called ‘additive layer manufacturing’.
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