Another Ugly Flying Car Design Arises | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.05.25

Airborne-NextGen-05.06.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.07.25

Airborne-Unlimited-05.01.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.02.25

Mon, Nov 13, 2023

Another Ugly Flying Car Design Arises

Subaru Hopes Model A Concept Shows the Way of the Future

Subaru showed off a new concept for a “flying car” in the form of their Model A at the Japan Mobility Show held in late October.

The design is, as seems to increasingly be the norm these days, ungainly. The design requirements for an electric or sustainable, vertical takeoff aircraft only leave so much styling to be done, of course, but the homely assortment of rotors, ports, and blade guards are hard to assemble in a way that carries the grace of a well-sorted automobile or fixed-wing aircraft. The Subaru model sports 6 large rotors arranged in a roughly hexagonal arrangement, each ducted and faired for maximum protection from accidental contact (in the horizontal plane, at least). In a somewhat blessed change from other would-be eVTOL concepts, the Model A at least has some comforting design elements in common with the average automobile today, sporting some LED head and tail lights. Combined with the blacked out, glassy passenger compartment, the aircraft at least carries enough “car” to feel like a flying car concept.

Performance remains mysterious, since the design remains a slippery computer rendered hypothesis. What kind of powertrain will it sport? Don’t know. How many passengers can it carry? Who knows. Attendees of the Japan Mobility Show relayed that Subaru said it’s working with engineers on developing a functional demonstrator, but much more than that remains a mystery. The Model A was accompanied by a similarly CGI-rendered concept in the form of an electric sports car, the Sport Mobility Concept. Given the usual electric expectations in the industry today, particularly the zeitgeist of Japanese air taxis, it should be a safe bet to assume the Model A will be powered by battery packs and recharged from the ground.

FMI: www.subaru.co.jp

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.06.25)

Aero Linx: International Federation of Airworthiness (IFA) We aim to be the most internationally respected independent authority on the subject of Airworthiness. IFA uniquely combi>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.06.25): Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF)

Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) The frequency band between 300 and 3,000 MHz. The bank of radio frequencies used for military air/ground voice communications. In some instances this may >[...]

ANN FAQ: Q&A 101

A Few Questions AND Answers To Help You Get MORE Out of ANN! 1) I forgot my password. How do I find it? 1) Easy... click here and give us your e-mail address--we'll send it to you >[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Virtual Reality Painting--PPG Leverages Technology for Training

From 2019 (YouTube Edition): Learning To Paint Without Getting Any On Your Hands PPG's Aerospace Coatings Academy is a tool designed to teach everything one needs to know about all>[...]

Airborne 05.02.25: Joby Crewed Milestone, Diamond Club, Canadian Pilot Insurance

Also: Sustainable Aircraft Test Put Aside, More Falcon 9 Ops, Wyoming ANG Rescue, Oreo Cookie Into Orbit Joby Aviation has reason to celebrate, recently completing its first full t>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC