Suzuki will collaborate with fellow Japanese company SkyDrive to commercialise flying cars.
SkyDrive, based in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo, is currently developing a compact, two-seat electric-powered flying car “with plans for full-scale production.”
The two companies will collaborate on technology research and development, the planning of manufacturing and mass-production systems, the development of overseas markets, and the promotion of efforts to attain carbon neutrality.
SkyDrive is initially targeting India as its first overseas market, although it will kick off operations in its homeland first. By 2025, SkyDrive reckons it can have an air taxi service up and running in time for the World Exposition show in Osaka.
SkyDrive, which was established in 2018, has been working in partnership with a range of companies to develop flying cars and cargo drones. It’s also the only company in Japan that has successfully conducted manned test flights.
SkyDrive’s cargo drones, which can carry up to 30kg, are already being used at worksites in mountainous areas of Japan.
For Suzuki, the near partnership will provide the company “with opportunities to explore and potentially add flying cars as a fourth mobility business,” adding to its cars, motorbikes, and outboard motors.
It seems as though flying cars and eVTOL are really starting to gain momentum. Companies such as Volocopter, Autoflight, and ZEVA Aero, are all beginning to produce prototypes and begin real-world testing.
Of course, practical commercial usage remains quite a way off for many of these companies – as does meeting the necessary safety and testing requirements needed to begin flying in big cities around the world.
Suzuki, meanwhile, is on something of an expansion with a recently announced new venture in India. Unlike many other Japanese automakers, Suzuki seems to be more willing to dip its toes into the world of EVs. Toyota, for example, is still fighting to keep hydrogen fuel cells as a viable option going forward.
