Volvo’s Chinese parent company Geely has swooped to acquire a flying car start-up with potential for lift-off, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
Terrafugia is an American company trying to make the dream of flying cars a reality, with what it promises will be the “world’s first practical flying car”.
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Founded in 2006, the first prototype flight of its model intended for production – called the Transition – took place in 2009. Progress since has been slow, but the start up intends to begin selling its flying car in 2019.
Now, with the backing of a huge company like Geely with experience in bringing cars to market, it would appear that flying cars could really happen.
The first flying cars on the market certainly won’t be cheap, however. Terrafugia has tentatively priced its 2019 flying car at between $300,000 and $400,000 (£232,000 - £309,000). For the same money, you could have a brand new, 789bhp, 211mph Ferrari 812 Superfast.
When in the sky, Terrafugia promises a 400-mile range from the Transition, with a top speed of 100mph and a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet. Little is known of the car’s performance on road, but the firm promises it’ll be capable of “highway speeds”.
Indeed, it’s not quite known why Geely has bought Terrafugia to line up alongside Volvo, Lotus and Lynk & Co, though it’s possible that the firm is more interested in the lightweight materials and construction processes involved with making a flying car, rather than the end product itself.
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