Boeing and Porsche will collaborate on a premium flying car.
On October 10, 2019, the companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore urban air mobility (UAM). The pair will leverage each other’s market expertise to study the future of premium personal UAM vehicles.
Detlev von Platen, a Porsche AG executive board member, called flying cars the "third dimension of travel.” He anticipates UAM becoming a key market segment in the future.
Boeing and Porsche hope to create an international team that will pursue various aspects of UAM, including demand for premium offerings as well as use cases.
In November 2017, Boeingfinalized the acquisitionof Virginia-based Aurora Flight Sciences, a developer and manufacturer of autonomous flight systems. The Boeing subsidiary will join its parent company and Porsche in the development of a fully electric vertical takeoff and landing concept (eVTOL) vehicle.
The team will also implement and test a prototype.
According to Porsche, the UAM market will takeoff after 2025, with vehicles that can transport passengers more quickly and efficiently than current conventional means of terrestrial transport. It is also forecast to be cheaper and more flexible.
The latest news comes after a series of industry partnerships and developments pushing flying car development. In early October 2019,Hyundai brought on former NASA heavyweightDr. Jaiwon Shin as executive vice president and head of its new UAM division.
