This is a new airless tire design called i-Flex. It made its debut this week in concept form at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. Developed by Hancook, the i-Flex tire constitutes both tire and wheel and is pretty similar to concepts from Bridgestone.

The concept tire is considerably lighter than conventional tires and wheel combinations. It can also provide a level of shock absorbency through its unique mesh structure. The two attributes contribute to reduced fuel consumption and improved NVH levels.

The lighter weight also means less unsprung mass, which means it aids handling and 95 percent of the tire's materials are recyclable. Made from polyurethane synthetics, it is manufactured with its rim as a single unit. It was displayed on a Volkswagen Up! subcompact.

Hancook is also working on more advanced tire technologies other than this. They have developed an eMembrane tire concept with the University of Cincinnati that is capable of transforming its profile through internal structure changes according to different driving conditions.

The eMembrane tire is previewed in the video below.