Flying Car

Frank Stephenson shocked many when he stepped down from the lead design role at McLaren in early 2017. It turned out he wanted to apply his design skills in an entirely new segment: flying taxis. The renowned designer, responsible for cars like the McLaren P1 and 650S (and in earlier roles the...

In March, Audi showed off the Pop.Up Next concept, a flying taxi vehicle designed in partnership between Italdesign and Airbus. On Tuesday, Audi completed the first public test for the futuristic transportation model. The Pop.Up Next prototype took flight at Drone Week in Amsterdam, though the...

Terrafugia, the flying car startup company with backing from China's Geely, has begun taking orders for its first flying car. Automotive News Europe (subscription required) reported Tuesday that deliveries of the flying car are expected to begin in 2019. The vehicle, called the Transition, will...

A former Philippine dancer and camera operator has turned into an inventor as he revealed his drone that actually carries a human being. Kyxz Mendiola has invented a drone that features a cockpit for a single person and multiple propellors similar to those found in smaller drones. Think of it as a...

Toyota last year threw its hat into the ring to build a flying car, and the automaker has since filed to protect a new design of its own. First discovered by AutoGuide, Toyota looks to have filed a patent that shows a "dual mode vehicle." Additionally, the patent covers the wheels for the flying...

The idea of the flying taxi is the fever dream of rich entrepreneurs looking to be "first." The latest rich entrepreneur interested in developing the "Jetsons"-like form of transportation? Former Manor Marussia F1 team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick founded Ovo Energy to challenge the...

America's Terrafugia has provided a few new details on its Transition flying car slated to enter production in 2019. Terrafugia was formed in 2006 by a group of engineers at MIT and was acquired late last year by China's Geely, the parent company of automakers Volvo and Lotus. Terrafugia's goal is...

Aston Martin specializes in building luxury cars, but it recently entered into a partnership to design a submarine. For its next act, the company has taken to the skies. On Monday, Aston Martin revealed the Volante Vision Concept, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle. The British luxury...

At this year's Geneva auto show, Audi joined Airbus and Italdesign to show off the Pop.Up Next concept. But, the flying taxi may not be a concept for long. The German government signed a letter of intent to test the flying taxi in Ingolstadt, Audi's hometown, according to an Engadget report. The...

As major cities continue to become more crowded, a number of firms, big and small, are in a race to deliver to the market small, low-noise aircraft that can be used to beat the traffic. One of these is America's Kitty Hawk, which on Thursday unveiled the production-ready version of its Flyer. Kitty...

Uber is dead set on bringing its ride-hailing service to the skies, and the company showed off its latest flying taxi prototype on Tuesday. The prototype bowed ahead of Uber's Elevate conference, which will bring the aviation, real estate, and infrastructure industries together with government...

The promise of flying cars has been replaced with the vision of autonomous drones. Neither one is a reality at the moment, but Volocopter is determined to make the latter come to fruition. With the backing of Daimler, it at least has the resources available to work out a way to bring such a concept...

Many companies have made a splash in the flying car or airborne taxi industry, which has only just begun to earn its wings (pun intended). Now it turns out Google founder Larry Page has been working on his own flying taxi, largely in secret and away from any press coverage. Apparently that means...

Dutch firm Pal-V is almost ready to take to the skies. The company this week unveiled its first product, a flying car called the Pal-V Liberty, at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show. The Pal-V Liberty packs an internal combustion engine delivering 100 horsepower, which should be enough for a...

First Porsche expressed interest in a flying taxi, and now Audi has partnered with Airbus and Italdesign to bring a self-driving car with flying drone capabilities to life. Together, the companies presented the Pop.Up Next concept at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show this week, an evolution...

Aside from the numerous vehicle concepts and futuristic cockpit designs at the Consumer Electronics Show, the Las Vegas tech show also played host to the very first helicopter debut. Bell Helicopter revealed its futuristic air taxi concept with a cabin tailored to personalize the user experience...

Most flying car concepts we've seen don't bear much resemblance to the traditional automobile. Instead, they forge a path forward with futuristic design and new ideas. Italian firm Lazzarini Design has bucked the trend with its conceptual flying car based on a 1920s Italian luxury vehicle. The...

If Oregon-based Samson sticks to its timeline, there will be a real flying car on sale next year. Samson revealed the Switchblade Wednesday and promises the functionality of a regular car and the ability to take off and fly in one package. The company's creation is a three-wheel vehicle with a...

Australia bid goodbye to local automobile manufacturing this past October as the final Holden Commodore rolled off the assembly line, but perhaps the country will be at the forefront of another transportation sector: flying cars. One Aussie's idea isn't an unmanned transportation pod, however...

Zhejiang Geely, the Chinese holding company that controls the Volvo, Lynk & Co., Geely and Lotus brands, announced on Monday plans to fully acquire American flying car startup Terrafugia. Terrafugia, based in Boston, Massachusetts, became one of the first firms in the flying car space when it...