• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Q&A: Mazda North America’s CEO Jeff Guyton
  • Tesla Owners Stung by Capitalism
  • Mercedes Updates GLE Models for 2024 Model Year
  • First Look: Mazda’s Bigger, More Luxurious New CX-90
  • GM Net Income Rises for Q4 But Falls for Full Year 2022
  • GMC Launches Production of Hummer SUV; Needs Until 2024 to Fill Outstanding Orders
  • Vehicle Sales Up for January Despite Ongoing Challenges
  • Bidding Adieu to Bugatti’s W16 Engine
  • Ford “Significantly” Raising Production of Mustang Mach-E While Reducing Prices “Across the Board”
  • Week Ahead: Numbers, Numbers and More Numbers
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4x4 Super Crew
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
    • A Week With: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
    • A Week With: 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Z71
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus UX 250h F Sport
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Flying Cars Inching Closer to Reality with AirCar’s Latest Flight

        Flying Cars Inching Closer to Reality with AirCar’s Latest Flight

        European startup completes its first city-to-city trip.

        Michael Strong
        Michael Strong , Managing Editor
        July 01, 2021

        The phrase “I thought I’d have my personal jetpack by now, or at least my flying car” is often used to temper excitement about improvements in personal transportation technology, such as fuel-cell vehicles or autonomous vehicles. 

        AirCar drives past terminal
        The AirCar drives past the terminal at the Bratislava airport after its early morning landing.

        There are plenty of company’s working on the latter, including some big names like Hyundai and Toyota; however, it’s a small one — AirCar — making news these days. The two seat is undergoing testing in Slovakia, completing a 35-minute flight from Nitra to Bratislava June 28. 

        The trip marked the 142nd time the craft has successfully landed. Nearly as importantly, the nearly 60-mile trip takes nearly 90 minutes to complete when simply driving from one city to the other, officials at Klein Vision, the company developing the aircraft noted.

        “This flight starts a new era of dual transportation vehicles. It opens a new category of transportation and returns the freedom originally attributed to cars back to the individual,” said Stefan Klein, the engineering professor who created the AirCar prototype after exiting the cockpit in Bratislava. 

        Plenty of competition

        AirCar transitions plane to car
        The wings on the AirCar begin to fold into the vehicle’s body. The transition takes 3 minutes.

        AirCar’s progress is noteworthy, but the company has plenty of competition — some of it pretty formidable. Hyundai and General Motors recently revealed plans to explore the flying car segment with the South Korean maker saying it’s accelerated its efforts.

        Hyundai Global Chief Operating Officer Jose Munoz, who also heads up the company’s North American operations, told a group of investors and media that an air taxi service could be operational by 2025, if everything goes well.

        He noted his company is ahead of its original timetable for producing a useable flying car, originally 2028. 

        GM earlier this year rolled out a Cadillac flying concept vehicle at CES 2021. “It’s a very nascent space,” Fletcher later noted. “There’s a lot of work to be done on the regulatory side, as well as the actual technology side.”

        In January, the company teased a four-rotor prototype dubbed the VTOL (vertical-take-off-and-landing), is “designed for the moment when time is of the essence and convenience is everything,” said Michael Simcoe, GM’s vice president of global design, at the time. 

        AirCar wings folding up
        The car is a two-seater powered by a 160-hp 4-cylinder engine from BMW.

        Details about the VTOL were scarce, though Simcoe did note the concept would use a 90 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The flying car would be targeted at Cadillac customers. Other automakers are also putting resources — human and financial — behind the effort to develop a flying car, including Toyota, Daimler AG, Aston Martin and Geely.

        Progress continues

        Last fall, AirCar’s fifth-generation model went through early-stage testing, including several takeoffs and landings as well as some in-air maneuvers. The latest trip pushed that progress further.

        AirCar interior while driving
        The AirCar’s interior is very similar to that of a conventional car.

        “AirCar is no longer just a proof of concept; flying at 8,200 feet at a speed of 100 knots, it has turned science fiction into a reality,” said Anton Zajac, the co-founder of Klein Vision. The current prototype is powered by a 160-horsepower 4-cylinder engine from BMW with a max cruising speed of nearly 120 mph, or 103 knots. It converts from plane to car in 3 minutes.

        Under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority, the AirCar has completed more than 40 hours of test flights, including steep 45 degree turns and stability and maneuverability testing.

        The next-generation model, AirCar Prototype 2, gets a few upgrades, notably a 300-hp engine. With its variable pitch propeller, the Prototype 2 is expected to have a cruise speed of nearly 190 mph, or 162kt, and range of 621miles.

        The company is still not offering up details about when they expect it will be available for purchase — and what that purchase price will be.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        Mazda US CEO Jeff Guyton

        Q&A: Mazda North America’s CEO Jeff Guyton

        Yesterday

        Tesla Owners Stung by Capitalism

        Yesterday
        2024 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupé front 3-4 REL

        Mercedes Updates GLE Models for 2024 Model Year

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: