Platypus amphibious 4x4 to land at under US$40,000

"Whilst I foresee the biggest segment of our forwards sales projections will be in the domestic recreation market, there are many other usages for the amphibian we have designed. For starters, the Platypus offers easy commuting in riverside cities or to nearby islands.

"It can be used by anyone who needs a car AND a boat to perform a task or deliver a service. With one vehicle that's capable in both areas, it offers much easier access to remote locations without having to load and unload goods. So it's ideal for any island communities or communities where water breaks up the geography. It would be ideal for aid distribution in countries too poor for helicopters. The list goes on ... tourism, resort transportation, adventure tours, government, police, search and rescue, emergency services, utility companies...

"Now it's not perfect at both water and land - a good amphibian will always be a compromise on the best attributes of a car and a boat, further hampered by road rules designed for standard passenger cars. We worked hard in designing, testing and redesigning to overcome the problems from the first vehicle and to optimise the outcome on both land and water.

"After three years we now have a vehicle capable of 100 kmh on land, and 7 knots on the water and that speed keeps rising as we tweak and improve the systems."

"When the testing and appraisal of design and technologies began three years ago, the first step was to take an existing Chinese military 4x4 amphibious vehicle and modify it.

"When we started the project, we thought we could use the Chinese amphibian as a base and build a viable vehicle with extensive modifications. It had some great features but after testing and modifying it substantially, we had concerns about its weight, and many mechanical and production issues.

"Ask any of the automotive manufacturers and they'll tell you that Australians are far harder on their vehicles than any other nationality. We have a lot of very rugged country to cover and we don't mess about getting there.

"It was then that I decided that I had to start from scratch and build a machine designed for the task.

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