Japanese automaker Suzuki has agreed to jointly start producing flying cars with SkyDrive, a leading flying car start-up in Japan, around the spring of 2024.
Flying cars are aircraft that can take off vertically and land using multiple rotors. The vehicles are typically meant for carrying a small number of people. Some of its models are also equipped for use on land.
SkyDrive will set up a fully-owned production subsidiary that will assemble vehicles utilising the Suzuki group’s plant in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan.
The announcement comes a day after SkyDrive unveiled at the Paris Airshow a plan to change the design of its vehicle under development so it can carry three people instead of two. The new design has an overall length of about 13 meters and a height of 3 meters. It will help the vehicle extend the maximum flight range to about 15 kilometers from the current 10 kilometers.
SkyDrive and Suzuki announced a tie-up in the area of flying vehicles in March 2022. Set up by former Toyota engineers in 2018, SkyDrive aims to utilise its flying vehicles at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.
One of the fastest growing segments in mobility, flying cars enjoy the interest of companies such as Toyota and Japan Airlines. These big companies are entering the niche market through start-ups that have development capabilities.
