Airbus intends to test flying car before the end of the year

Posted: 01/28/2017 10:18 AM EST

Cities are growing worldwide and traffic as we know it will only get worse. Airbus Group's urban air mobility division predicts that by 2030, 60 percent of the population will live in cities, up from 50 percent today. The aircraft giant, second in size only to Boeing, is developing three separate solutions to urban congestion and they all look to the skies. Airbus is working on a single-passenger vehicle, package delivery drones, and autonomous buses.

Airbus CEO Tom Enders spoke about the company's projects in Munich at the DLD conference where he told attendees he hopes the company will demonstrate a single person flying vehicle by year's end, Reuters reported. "One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground, now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground. We are in an experimentation phase, we take this development very seriously. With flying, you don't need to pour billions into concrete bridges and roads."

Calling on the corporate experience with commercial helicopters and making the most of emerging autonomous driving and artificial intelligence technologies, Enders continued, "If we ignore these developments, we will be pushed out of important segments of the business."

Vahana, a single-passenger, self-piloted vehicle, is the Airbus concept for a flying car, seen as a viable solution for gridlocked commuters. This is the vehicle Enders wants to test by the end of 2017 and according to division CEO Rodin Lyasoff, it's totally feasible.

Source: Airbus intends to test flying car before the end of the year