Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Volkswagen is considering building flying cars in China, becoming the latest carmaker to explore the possibilities of personal air travel.
Europe’s largest car maker said in a statement on Tuesday that “vertical mobility” could be the next step after autonomous technology, adding: “So we are looking at potential concepts and partners in a potential study in China to determine the feasibility of manufacturing this approach.”
China is the largest market for cars in the world, and it is also the largest single customer of “Volkswagen”. The news comes as the German carmaker is making a big push towards electric cars, providing more than 3 times the number of battery-powered electric cars last year compared to what it did in 2019, while deliveries of plug-in hybrid cars rose 175%. To reach 190,500 units.
However, the idea of ”vertical mobility” raises many obstacles compared to electric mobility, including questions about safety and reliability. Flying vehicles will need to operate in a crowded atmosphere, close to small drones and conventional aircraft. They will also need a regulatory framework that may take Its foundation years.
In an interview posted on LinkedIn on Tuesday, Stephan Wallenstein, president of Volkswagen China, told Chairman Herbert Deiss that the company is also planning to develop a drone that can be licensed, which will help it participate in the future market for individual mobility. “That requires space in the air, not in the streets.”
With this, Volkswagen joins a growing list of companies exploring the potential of flying vehicles, after Uber and Hyundai revealed plans for a flying electric taxi at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month.
