Slovakia-based AeroMobil is now taking pre-orders for its flying car – and it will cost only $1 million!
AeroMobil unveiled its new model at the Top Marques supercar show in Monaco and the first deliveries of its two-seater vehicle are expected by 2020. Powered by hybrid propulsion, it can change from car to plane in less than three minutes, has a driving range estimated at 700km at up to 100 mph, and a flight range at 750km.
I guess if you have spare $1 million, you might also have the large piece of land you’ll need for take off and landing, so this is quite a niche purchase!
At the launch, AeroMobil co-founder and CEO Juraj Vaculik said: “You can use it as a regular car. Though it is not legal — yet — to take off from a highway.”
AeroMobil chief technology officer Douglas MacAndrew said: “This launch is a triumph of engineering and design, requiring all our creativity, imagination, passion and technical expertise to deliver an innovative product that is truly ground-breaking.
“Everyone in this sector must overcome complex technical challenges in the process of developing a flying vehicle. We believe the vehicle presented today successfully resolves these challenges demonstrating a product that does not compromise either air or road function. The outcome is a flying car that combines innovative features with a recognisable, high quality experience that pilots and drivers have come to expect.”
AeroMobil has been working on its flying car for a few years. Its previous AeroMobil 3.0 prototype was presented in Vienna in 2014 but at that time no test-flight has taken place. The machine crashed during a test flight in Slovakia in 2015 with its inventor Stefan Klein on board. A tribute to the design, he escaped largely unharmed.
I guess if you have spare $1 million, you might also have the large piece of land you’ll need for take off and landing, so this is quite a niche purchase!
Will I be buying a lottery ticket and crossing my fingers? I’m not sure, as the whole landing and taking off aspect raises too many questions, let alone the concerns I already have about legislation that will come as drones begin to fill the skies. But would I take a test-drive/flight? Oh yes, I would!