Featured Image Credit: XPENG AEROHT/YouTube
Elon Musk's divisive Cybertruck is currently the most futuristic-looking vehicle on the roads - but it looks positively ancient compared to this flying super car.
Yes, you heard us right - a flying super car was unveiled at the tech trade show CES last week, and it could be the future of travel.
It's made by Chinese company XPeng Aeroht, which describes itself as 'the largest flying car company in Asia', and says it works to integrate 'intelligent vehicles and modern aviation... producing the safest intelligent electric flying car for individual users'.
Embark on a new era of mobility! Witness the future of transportation at #CES2024.#XPENGAEROHT #FlyingCar #Tech #eVTOL pic.twitter.com/rCgv9NxWZ9
— XPENG AEROHT (@XPENG_AEROHT) January 10, 2024
The vehicle looks straight out of the latest Fast & Furious movie - with a sleek sports car design and electric blue and white panels.
Pretty cool in itself, and that's before propellors sprout from the top of the vehicle.
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The company calls it 'the world's first eVTOL flying car' and adds: 'Designed for both air flight and road driving, the flying car conveniently features a sleek rotor fold-away system for seamless conversation between driving and flying.'
A video from CES shows how seamlessly propellors sprout from the car's roof, taking just over a minute to get into position.
Co-founder, vice president, and chief designer of Xpeng Aeroht, Wang Tan, told The US Sun: "Humans are 3D animals but the transportation is 2D.
The countdown is on! See you there! #CES2024 #XPENGAEROHT #FlyingCar #Tech #eVTOL pic.twitter.com/ZSEmMzhmwa
— XPENG AEROHT (@XPENG_AEROHT) January 9, 2024
"Everybody wants to fly actually and to have another view, another angle, to see the gorgeous view."
And the best thing about travelling in this way? According to Wang, if you're stuck in traffic you can just power up the propellors and leave any congestion behind you.
In 2023, XPeng Aeroht opened the Flying Car Ground Comprehensive Testing Center in Foshan, China, a year after the eVTOL completed its maiden flight.
It's not the only thing XPeng Aeroht is working on - the company has said it's desiging a 'Land Aircraft Carrier' - which is essentially a people carrier version of the flying sports car.
Unfortunately, the future isn't quite here yet. The flying super car is a prototype at this point - no pricing or release date has been revealed, and we're not quite sure current road rules are ready for this kind of car/helicopter hybrid.
It wasn't the only wild thing we saw at CES - other highlights included the 'world's first' 137-inch folding TV and Sony driving a car with a PS5 controller.
