Aston Martin’s Volante Vision Concept

Aston Martin released their Volante Vision Flying Car Concept at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK on July 17th. Among many other aviation announcements that were shared yesterday, this one was particularly important, as the Volante Vision Concept advances the previous SuperVolant Pegasus concept.

It’s estimated that this concept wouldn’t be flying until the middle of the next decade, and wouldn’t be cheap, either. At current exchange rates, such an aircraft would cost between $9-$10 million dollars.

Aston Martin spokesman Matt Clarke stated: “The concept is intended to demonstrate new technologies, materials and elegant forms – it is a design and R&D study but we are considering routes to production as part of the design.”

The concept features two propulsors at the front of the aircraft, with one larger one at the rear. The concept is slated to be able to operate autonomously, but if an operator chooses to, they may fly the aircraft from the front seat using projected flight operation information on the windscreen of the aircraft. There are two more seats behind the pilot’s seat that fan outward for additional legroom that bring the total capacity of the aircraft to 3 persons.

Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin, said: “We need to look at alternative solutions to reduce congestion, cut pollution and improve mobility. Air travel will be a crucial part in the future of transportation.”

Why it’s important: Aston Martin is another carmaker that has joined the flying car industry, among the ranks of Porsche, Audi, and Geely Holdings. Such a large interest in this emerging market from the likes of globally-recognized automakers with huge resource pools will advance the development of flying cars faster than predicted. Stay tuned for more updates from Farnborough and EAA AirVenture coming next week.

Learn more about the Aston Martin Volante Vision here.

Watch videos of the Volante here.

Source

• USA Today