Audi, together with Airbus and Italdesign, has presented a 1:4 scale working prototype of the ‘Pop.Up Next’ flying taxi concept at Drone Week in Amsterdam. The German carmaker is part of the Urban Air Mobility flying taxi project in Ingolstadt, and is looking to further develop the idea into a comprehensive transport service.
The concept combines an autonomous electric car and a passenger drone, with a separate passenger compartment being passed between them. During the concept’s test run, flight module accurately placed a passenger capsule on the ground module, which then drove from the test grounds autonomously.
“Flying taxis are on the way. We at Audi are convinced of that. More and more people are moving to cities. And more and more people will be mobile thanks to automation. In future senior citizens, children, and people without a driver’s license will want to use convenient robot taxis,” said Bernd Martens, Audi board member for sourcing and IT, and president of the Audi subsidiary Italdesign.
Such an idea is being tested for an on-demand service in South America, where customers book helicopter flights in Mexico City or Sao Paulo, while an Audi is at the ready for the journey to or from the landing site.
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- At Drone Week in Amsterdam Audi, Airbus and Italdesign are presenting for the first time a flying and driving prototype of “Pop.Up Next”. This innovative concept for a flying taxi combines a self-driving electric car with a passenger drone. In the first public test flight, the flight module accurately placed a passenger capsule on the ground module, which then drove from the test grounds autonomously. This is still a 1:4 scale model.
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- At Drone Week in Amsterdam Audi, Airbus and Italdesign are presenting for the first time a flying and driving prototype of “Pop.Up Next”. This innovative concept for a flying taxi combines a self-driving electric car with a passenger drone. In the first public test flight, the flight module accurately placed a passenger capsule on the ground module, which then drove from the test grounds autonomously. This is still a 1:4 scale model.
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- At Drone Week in Amsterdam Audi, Airbus and Italdesign are presenting for the first time a flying and driving prototype of “Pop.Up Next”. This innovative concept for a flying taxi combines a self-driving electric car with a passenger drone. In the first public test flight, the flight module accurately placed a passenger capsule on the ground module, which then drove from the test grounds autonomously. This is still a 1:4 scale model.
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I think Audi better concentrate on their cheating scandal. It was from Audi that the VW scandal originated that cause massive embarrassment.
I think they better focus on how to run an honest company first before venturing into flying teksis
Even sales of Audi in Malaysia has kaput
Then why you said P1 should jv with VW last time? You should go to psychiatrist
Wait …. it’s not April Fool’s day yet, why is this article out now?
Looks like a gigantic drone.
Fugly, for sure no sales
If the actual 1:1 prototype never takes flight,
At least Audi and Airbus can start making cool toys….. , unless china beats them to it….
Audi delivers feature-rich cars with awesome design at a cut price (compare to their German luxury car rivals). But the biggest problem of their cars (at least those sale in Malaysia) are reliability issues. From all the friends and business partners that I know who own Audi, almost every one suffer from many minor issues that they always need to send back to service centers.
so i guess the idea that conti cars are super reliable is just a myth then?