Volkswagen Aqua all-terrain concept hovercar designed by Chinese graduate

A concept car capable of crossing any terrain on the planet has dreamed up by Chinese graduate. The Volkswagen Aqua was penned by 21-year-old female designer Zhang Yuhan as part of a VW-sponsored competition to fashion the ultimate off road vehicle for China, according to the Daily Mail.

The bonkers Volkswagen Aqua is designed to tackle China's hugely varied terrain. Along with traffic-filled cities, the country's geography also consists of expansive deserts, mountain ranges, subtropical areas and bodies of water that should, in theory, be accessible in the hovercraft-inspired Aqua.

Sadly, nobody's actually built the Volkswagen Aqua as yet (these fancy pictures are computer-generated), but its design is based on technology that exists in the real world today. It's powered by a pair of electric motors -- one for inflating the vehicle's hovercraft-style skirt and another that drives a set of high-powered propulsion fans.

Power is supplied to the electric motors by an eco-friendly hydrogen fuel cell, which delivers enough grunt to help the Aqua achieve a top speed of 100kmh (62mph). That's not very quick in comparison to an ordinary road car, but we imagine achieving this sort of speed when hurtling across a swamp would be exhilarating to say the least.

"There is no better form of transport than an air cushion vehicle because it travels equally well over land, ice and water," commented Ms Yuhan. "I hope Aqua will become an affordable supercar that is available to the general public one day."

Have a look through our photo gallery for more images of the Volkswagen Aqua in all its computer-generated glory.