Wellington baby buggy manufacturer Phil and Ted's Most Excellent Buggy Company believes it has come up with the next evolution in buggies.
The two-wheeled Burb buggy could hit the market before Christmas.
A unique feature of the Burb is its ability to collapse without the need to take the child out, making
it easier to use on public transport or negotiating awkward urban terrain like stairs than a conventional three-wheel buggy.
The Burb is the result of a design competition sponsored by Phil and Ted's for second-year students at Victoria University's School of Design two years ago.
Phil and Ted's managing director Campbell Gower said industrial design student Mike Parker's effort won the competition because it was the most novel submitted.
"We really wanted to push the creativity and novelty element," Gower said.
Parker said he recognised the potential for two wheels after noticing that parents with three-wheel buggies would often pick up the front wheel to steer.
Gower said it quickly became apparent that the two-wheel concept could allow Phil and Ted's to enter the lucrative small buggy market and compete against the lightweight collapsible strollers that dominate the sector.
"We have got a successful three-wheeler selling around the world that targets the middle to upper price bracket buyer," Gower said. About 80 per cent of the company's buggies are exported.
The Burb would appeal to people who were looking for a cheaper alternative that was also compact and light.
"That market is many times bigger than the three-wheeler market that we are in now," Gower said.
The past two years have been spent refining the Burb's design with the help of a $4000 Technology New Zealand grant.
Weighing in at about 5kg, half that of a three-wheeler, the Burb is expected to retail for less than $200.
- NZPA
