Japan's first flying car opens for pre-order, priced at 1.5 million USD

SkyDrive 's SD-05 prototype . Photo: SkyDrive

The Japan Times reports that flying car maker SkyDrive has received its first private order. The product on sale is the SD-05 model, which has two seats and costs $1.5 million . The buyer is Kotaro Chiba, a licensed pilot in Japan. He also owns a HondaJet private jet.

“I am the first owner of SkyDrive SD-05. The skies of Japan will be opened up with flying cars,” Chiba tweeted. In fact, the pilot is also an investor in the personal aviation startup.

He is a founding and managing partner at a venture capital fund focused on drones.

flying car price 1.5 million USD photo 1

SD-05 model at the testing laboratory of the Japanese aviation agency. Photo: SkyDrive

SkyDrive, which was previously aimed at business customers, began selling to consumers last week. The company plans to produce its first flying car in 2025. The $1.5 million price tag does not include maintenance and operations.

SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa said they have received many requests from both individuals and businesses. “We will develop fully autonomous aircraft in the future. This will help realize the vision of people driving flying cars for daily transportation,” Fukuzawa said.

Japanese auto executives believe flying cars are the future of the country’s long-standing industry. The SkyDrive SD-05 uses an electric motor and a vertical take-off mechanism like a helicopter. This helps to reduce congestion at airports.

The Japanese government is also drafting additional regulations for flying cars. The country’s Transport Ministry ’s Council has just released a provisional report on regulations for installing tracking devices and requiring pilot licenses when operating flying cars. This device is expected to be commercialized by 2025.

In addition to electric vehicles, flying cars are expected to explode in the next few years. Tokyo-based startup teTra Aviation has conducted unmanned test flights outdoors and with pilots indoors. Auto parts maker Denso is working with Honeywell International to develop flying car components.

Several Western countries are also involved in this field. Germany's Volocopter and British Aerospace are both looking to commercialize the vehicle in the near future. Klein Vision's AirCar prototype has already been licensed by the Slovakian Transport Authority.

According to Zing

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