Jungheinrich's car transporter.

Jungheinrich AG has developed a custom car transporter based on a pedestrian pallet truck for General Motors (GM) Powertrain in Germany.

Made at its special equipment construction plant in Lüneburg, the car transporter is now being used to move test vehicles at GM Powertrain's facility at Russelsheim, Germany.

GM Powertrain tests motors and transmissions for a range of vehicles at the Russelsheim site. Health and safety legislation prevents the cars from being driven under their own power in the enclosed building to the test station. The transporter, adapted from an EJE pedestrian pallet truck, enables GM Powertrain to move vehicles around the workshops.

Jungheinrich modified the pallet truck's load section to devise a flexible car transporter that can pick up a vehicle from the front, back or middle and transfer it safely to its designated test station.

The car transporter has clamps instead of standard forks. The clamps clasp the wheels of one axle and then lift the car.

Jungheinrich AG spokesperson Wolfgang Fessel tells Forkliftaction.com News the special truck was built for GM Powertrain, but there has been demand for the truck from other car manufacturers.

"There are orders from other German car manufacturers," he says, adding that there are variations of the truck for other car manufacturers, for example, with a seat for longer distances.

Fessel says the product is not available commercially, describing it as "a special product developed for one customer". "If we see the market for a small series, we will be able to respond to that," he says.