Audi unveils futuristic concept of autonomous car turning into flying taxi

In a first, Audi is attempting to create a futuristic technology that would be a cross between a self-driving electric car and a flying taxi.

Automobile manufacturer Audi has recently partnered with Airbus and a design company Italdesign in order to create a prototype that will be a cross between an electric autonomous Audi car and flying taxi, a concept that they call ‘Pop.Up Next’.

The firms exhibited an one-quarter size scale model at the recently held Amsterdam Drone Week convention. The drone-car is made up of three separate modules: a chassis with wheels, two-seat capsule for passengers, and a four-rotor drone, explained Phys.org.

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What actually sets the flying drone-car apart is its detachable passenger cabin that can be picked up by a drone module, which will park its two legs on either side of the vehicle and the passenger cabin. It will then just pick up the passenger cabin and leave the car behind.

Though the full-scale manufacturing is yet to happen, Audi is hoping to carry out test operations for Pop.Up Next at its headquarters in Germany, reported Futurism.

Airbus executive Jean Brice Dumont said, “For this we need to tick a list of boxes — the vehicle is one, safety is the overarching one, infrastructure is one, acceptability is another one. I think it will take more than a decade until a real significant, massive deployment of an air taxi system is ready.”

Meanwhile, ride-hailing service Uber too has shared its plans for a flying taxi, which is believes will be available for demonstration flights by 2020 and be completely in service by 2023.