On the back of a project in 2020, the Volkswagen Group in China has launched a vertical mobility product — basically, a flying car prototype — an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) passenger drone. Volkswagen says that the final version of the eVTOL will carry 4 passengers plus luggage for a distance of up to 200 km.
According to Volkswagen, the concept is based on its existing autonomous vehicle driving solutions and battery technology with emission-free mobility. The luxury x-wing configuration has an 11.2-meter ad 10.6-meter length and breadth. The eVTOL features eight rotors for vehicle lift and 2 propellers for horizontal flight.
“Through this pilot project, we are bringing Volkswagen’s long tradition of precision engineering, design, and innovation to the next level, by developing a premium product that will serve the vertical mobility needs of our future tech-savvy Chinese customers. This is a pioneering project which our young team of Chinese experts started from scratch – they are working with new design concepts and materials while developing new safety standards, disrupting and innovating every step of the way. The launch of this stunning validation model – the V.MO – is the first of many remarkable milestones on our exciting journey towards urban air travel, and a perfect example of our ‘From China, For China’ mission. Our long-term aim is to industrialize this concept and, like a ‘Flying Tiger’, break new ground in this emerging and fast-evolving new mobility market,” said Dr Stephan Wollenstein, the CEO of Volkswagen Group in China.
Volkswagen’s teams in China are expanding local R&D and software expertise in this space. Volkswagen has a team dedicated to this project in China who are supported by local partners like Hunan Sunward Technology, a subsidiary of Hunan manufacturing group Sunward.
